Family Affairs
by loulouflowerpower
Summary: 11/OC-Time Lady. Secrets are being kept from the Doctor and the Hatter, secrets involving what happened in America that might just lead to deadly consequences, but with their child on the way and a new enemy known as the Silence lurking in the shadows, can they really protect their child from this new threat? Just who is River Song to them? And what will happen when Silence falls?
1. Chapter 1 The Impossible Astronaut, P1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor, nor any of the BBC characters, but I do own my OC Time Lady, the Hatter.**_

 _ **Right, then. This is the sixth instalment in the series, so I suggest that if you have only just found this now that you go back and read the first five stories to gain an understanding of the Hatter and her relationship with the Doctor. If you have any questions or suggestion, then please PM me or send me a message by my Tumbler (under the same name), and I'll be more than happy to answers whatever I can.**_

 _ **As a little reminder, the Hatter is in her Eleventh regeneration. She has wavy brown, shoulder length hair, pale skin, almond shaped hazel green eyes, stands around 5'11 with an athlete build. However, with her pregnancy her body shape will obviously start to change. Her features are slightly softer then her previous regeneration with less defined cheek bones, a long, slime nose that curves upwards very slightly at the tip and a short, pointed chin. And when she smiles, a dimple forms in her right cheek. She is also left handed.**_

 _ **Now, as for clothing: The Hatter wears navy blue tights and bright yellow Oxford lace-up shoes, and a black sued, A-line skirt that has white buttons running up the front of it, along with a thick, bright yellow belt and a long sleeved, hot pink top. Pinned to the front of her top, she has a silver, crystal star brooch, over which she wears a black leather biker jacket, her wedding and engagements rings, along with her Gallifrayen necklace. And, to top off the outfit, she wears a hot pink and black, two toned fedora hat. As I mentioned above, the Hatter is pregnant, so any changes to her clothing due to her pregnancy will be mentioned throughout the story, but they should only be very minor changes.**_

 _ **And, without anything further to say…on with the story! :)**_

….

 _ **The Impossible Astronaut, Part 1**_

The sun was shining brightly outside, streaming in through the large windows lining the hallway as a man in elaborate Georgian style clothing stormed throughout the grand palace hallways, his guards hurrying along behind him, glaring at everyone that he past as the courtiers hastily bowed and curtsied, scurrying out of his way. He ought to have known not to trust that man and his very strangely dressed wife, who had vanished off somewhere. They had both been far too friendly and nice, the two of them always seeming to be rambling on about complete nonsense. He should have known better, especially when he had noticed that so called 'Doctor' man chatting away to one of his favourite mistresses without his wife accompanying him, for once.

He threw open a door, striding through it and on down the hallway, shoving a servant aside when she failed to get out of his way fast enough, "Out of my way!" he snapped angrily, continuing down the hallway, until he came to a set of double doors. He tried the handle, only to find them locked, and began pounding furiously on them, "Doctor!" he shouted through the doors, "Doctor!" his guards moved forward, trying to shove the doors open, making them begin to buckle as he pulled his sword from its sheath on his hip. He hit the door again, "Doctor! Doctor!"

With one last firm push of his guards, the doors burst open, all of them with their swords drawn and ready to fight as they took in the sight before them. There was a small pile of clothing that had been draped over a small table across from the doorway, easily recognisable as belonging to the Doctor by their curious design. Another table was covered in paintbrushes and paints, while beside that, sitting on an easel, was a still wet painting of the Doctor naked, save for a red cloth that had been painted to preserve his modesty, seeming to be smiling back at the viewer as he held a golden trident, about to be crowned by a small cupid painted onto a sky background. Clearly, he was supposed to be Neptune, the Roman Sea God. And standing in the middle of the room, facing the doorway with a paintbrush still in hand, was none other than his mistress, the artiest of the painting, trying hard to look calm.

The man turned his attention to the women, narrowing his eyes at her, "Where's the Doctor?" he demanded, knowing that he had to be hiding somewhere close by.

She laughed nervously, turning the paintbrush around in her fingers, "Doctor who?"

Her little lie might have very well have worked, had a muffled sneeze not sounded from beneath her many skirts of her dress. All eyes turned in the direction as the women's eyes widened, watching warily as the man stepped forward and used the tip of his sword to lift the edge of her dress, just slight.

The Doctor's head popped out from under it, curled up in a tight ball, still completely naked. He looked up to see the steadily angry and reddening face of the man standing above him, "You know…" he began hastily with a smile, "This isn't _nearly_ as bad as it looks…"

The man didn't seem to agree as he sent the Doctor a glare before storming over to the painting, stabbing it furiously with his sword. The Doctor sighed slightly as two of the guards marched forward and began to pull him up rather roughly. He had been planning to give that to the Hatter as a joke present, knowing she would find it hilarious and probably tease him terribly for it. They both could do with a good laugh lately…

…

Okay, it was official, the Hatter was going to kill him this time. It had all started after the Doctor had watched a movie about a group of prisoners during WWII who had dug a tunnel to try and escape from their German camp, and decided that he wanted to have a go, too. He had never dug a tunnel to escape from prison before and came to the conclusion that he simply had to try it, at least once. The Hatter, needless to say, really wasn't impressed by the idea, but had reluctantly agreed to humour him and stayed behind in the TARDIS in case something should go wrong, as she was expecting it would, so that she could come and rescue him. What he hadn't quite anticipated was just how hard it actually was to dig a tunnel, and had soon been forced to shed even his tweed blazer and bowtie, completely covered in dirt and cacked on mud, simply wearing a singlet.

"Doctor!" one of the prisoners hissed, sweating and covered in dirt, crawling on his stomach along the tunnel that they had managed to dig thus fair, looking up to where the Doctor had dug a hole above the tunnel, believing that they had gone far enough to escape. He tried to look up through the darkened hole for the other man, "Doctor, what do you see?"

The Doctor's head popped down the hole to look upside down at the man, "Is the Commandant's office painted a sort of green colour with a big flag on the wall?" he asked him, just before a siren went off from above and dogs began barking. He winced slightly, "I think the answer's probably 'yes'".

He was suddenly yanked back up through the hole, finding himself surrounded by the bunch of solders pointing their guns at him, when the sound of the TARDIS materialising sounded over all the noise, the time machine landing around the Doctor as he suddenly found himself lying on the floor of the console room, distantly hearing the shouts and alarms going off outside the doors. He rolled over onto his side, looking up to find the Hatter standing above him, an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

"I told you so, sweetheart," she said, shaking her head in exasperation, "Now, please do get up. You're getting the floor filthy and you know the old girl doesn't like that".

He pulled himself up right and looked down at himself, making a face at the dirt covering his body. Yes, she did have a rather good point there…

….

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a grin, sneaking onto the set of Laurel and Hardy's 'Sons of the Desert,' both wearing a fez quite proudly. They ran up toward the camera, waving cheerfully down the lens and smiling broadly, having remembered Rory mention once that he was a big fan of the film, and so they decided to have a bit of fun. They quickly moved back from the camera, falling into step alongside Laurel and Hardy's dance.

Sadly, their fun was cut short when the director finally seemed to realise that there was two extra actors on the set then there should have been, and the Time Lords were forced to run back to the TARDIS, weaving through extras and crew members as they went, managing to get inside the time machine before anyone could catch them, setting off into the Time Vortex.

….… _ **Eye of Orion**_ ….…

"Feeling better now, dear?" the Doctor asked as he and the Hatter strolled back towards where they had parked the TARDIS on top of a slope beneath an old tree, their arms linked together.

"Much, thank you," the Time Lady nodded, smiling brightly at him, kissing his cheek. She had woken up feeling terribly sick that morning and hadn't been able to even drink her tea before she had been forced to make a mad dash for the kitchen sink, the Doctor holding her hair back for her and rubbing her back soothingly as she was ill. The morning sickness had kicked in a month ago and had steadily grown worse, now even eating a piece of dry toast wasn't helping to settle the nauseating feeling and she couldn't be in the kitchen anymore when the Doctor was cooking breakfast with how sensitive her nose had grown.

The Doctor had suggested that they should go somewhere nice and calming until she was feeling a bit better, and so they had gone to the Eye of Orion, a planet known for being very calm and relaxing with beautiful, country side-like scenery, the rolling green hills that stretched out all across the planet and even a few stone ruins. In fact, the Doctor's old companion, Tegan, had once described it as being like Earth after a thunder storm and the Time Lady had to admit, she was quite accurate in that description.

"We could stay a bit longer, if you wanted," he said, glancing back to her.

She shook her head, taking a long, deep breath of the fresh air, "No, I think we've spent enough time relaxing here already," she replied, smiling at him again, "Time for another adventure".

He sighed slightly, but the corner of his mouth rose as he did so, "You know, most expecting mothers would love to take the chance to slow down," he remarked.

"How boring. Just because I'm five months pregnant doesn't mean I'm just going to sit back and let _you_ have all the fun. Not a chance. I'll still be up for an adventure even when I can no longer do up my own shoelaces and I look as if I've swallowed a small planet, I just might not be able to run anymore, which means you'll have to carry me".

He laughed, raising his eyebrows, "Oh, will I?"

She paused, turning to face him properly, poking her finger into his chest, "If you think I'm going to go through all this pain and discomfort while you are just going to get off scot-free, you have another thing coming, Mister," she warned him, completely serious.

The Doctor winced slightly at her sharp poke, "I think these hormonal mood swings are more than enough discomfort for me, dear," he muttered to himself, moving to rub his chest. This was the second time today she had gone from being joking to deadly serious in a split second, and something told him that for a women who could already change her moods rapidly _before_ getting pregnant, it was only going to get worse from here on.

"What was that?" she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"Nothing!" he said hurriedly, his eyes widening in alarm. She would murder him if she had heard what he had said, "I just said that you, um…look very glowy today".

The Hatter blinked at him, "'Glowy?'" she repeated, amusement entering her voice as she raised an eyebrow at him.

He frowned slightly, "Isn't that what pregnant women do?"

She stared at him for a long moment before bursting out laughing, shaking her head, "Oh, sweetheart," she giggled, looking back to his genuinely confused expression as she reached up to lightly pat his cheek, "You desperately need to read a pregnancy book…or possibly five. Saying that a pregnant women looks 'glowing' is simply referring to them looking happy, not an actual _glow_ ".

"Ah!" he exclaimed, nodding, "That makes more sense".

She laughed again and relinked her arm through his, setting off once more back up the hill and towards the TARDIS. They soon reached time machine, but paused as they found a TARDIS blue envelop had been stuck to the door while they had been away with the Hatter's name printed across it and the number 'one' beneath it. They both looked at each other, surprised and confused as the brunet reached out and took the envelop, using the edge of her fingernail to get beneath the glue sealing the paper shut and messily tearing it open. She pulled a slip of cardboard out to find a set of coordinates had been written across it.

"Looks like we're being summoned," she commented, handing the card to the Doctor so that he could see it, too.

He frowned down at it, "And we both know how well that's turned out in the past," he said dryly, meeting her eyes with a wary expression.

….

In the end, they decided to go, mainly to see just who would summon them in the first place, and found themselves stepping out of the back room of a small American, 1950's style diner at night time. One side of the room was lined with rows of red leather booths, while on the other side was a long bench with stools tucked beneath it, a young man severing behind it. A large mural had been painted on the back wall of Elvis and the American flag, leaving them with no doubt just what country they had landed in.

The Doctor ordered himself a bottle of coke and the Hatter got a chocolate milkshake, both moving to take a seat in a booth further towards the back of the room, sipping on their drinks as they waited for whomever had summoned them, but when no one showed up, they decided to duck back to the TARDIS to grab their own straws, the Time Lady having grown tired listening to the Doctor whine about not having enough bubbles in his soft drink. Once they had their straws, the Hatter's a bright pink squiggly one, they stepped back out of the TARDIS, the Doctor pushing the door into the main diner open and stepping out, only to pause when they found Amy, Rory, and River standing before them, staring at them, completely stunned.

The Doctor grinned around the end of his own straw that he had sticking out of his mouth, pointing at the three very shocked people in delight. He glanced at the Hatter, who was smiling just as widely and gave them a little wave. They had known that they would be meeting someone, they just didn't expect to see their friends.

"Oh, this is _cold_ ," River breathed, her eyes wide as she slowly turned to face them properly, her mouth set in a hard line, "Even by your standards, Doctor, _this is cold_. Especially for you, Hatter".

"Or, 'hello,' as people used to say," the Doctor smiled, taking the straw out of his mouth.

"Yes, lovely to see you too, River," the Hatter said in a mock offended tone, amused, but her amusement soon faded as she noticed that they all seemed to be looking at them strangely.

"Doctor?" Amy gasped, looking between them, her eyes looking a little red, "Hatter?"

"We just popped out to get our special straws," the Doctor informed them, holding his straw up for them to see, "Mine adds more fizz and the Hatter's looks cool".

"Plus, pretty," the Time Lady added cheerfully, waving her straw around proudly.

Amy slowly began to walk closer to them, looking at them as if she had never seen them before, taking them both in. It couldn't be them, it simply couldn't be. The Doctor wasn't wearing his Stetson and the Hatter's tights were navy blue, not dark purple and if looked closely enough, she could see that she looked just a bit bigger around her stomach area, even her cheeks seemed fuller. They were standing before her, so alive and happy.

She began to circle around them, the two turning on the spot to look at her oddly as she reached up to touch the Doctor's bowtie and the Hatter's hat. The Time Lady was far to confused and concerned by what was going on to scold her lightly for touching her hat, "You're okay," she whispered, shaking her head in amazement, "How can you both be okay?"

The Hatter frowned, growing even more concerned at the fear in Amy's voice, "Hey, come here," she said gently, reaching out and pulling the girl in for a tight hug, "Everything is alright," she assured her, pulling back to put a hand on Amy's cheek, meeting her tearful eyes, "You know us, we're always okay".

"That's right," the Doctor nodded, stepping forward and hugging Amy, too, feeling very worried for why she seemed so upset, "We're the King and Queen of okay. Oh, those are rubbish titles…" he made a face, shaking his head, "Forget that title".

"Yes, please do," the Time Lady agreed, laughing slightly.

He released Amy, "Rory the Roman!" he cheered, moving to throw his arm around Rory, "That's a _good_ title!" he grinned, hugging the rather stunned looking man, "Hello, Rory!"

Rory slowly returned the hug, glancing over the Doctor's shoulder to River, looking unsure of what to do. The Hatter moved forward, pulling Rory in for a hug as the Doctor stepped back, "Are you alright?" she asked, pulling back slightly to eye his face.

"Er…" Rory blinked.

"And Doctor River Song!" the Doctor spun around to face River, the Hatter casting Rory one last look before moving to stand beside the Doctor. He smiled at the curly haired woman, "Oh, you bad, bad girl," he remarked playfully, "What trouble have you got for us this time?"

River suddenly slapped him, hard, making his head snap back away from her, his eyes widening in surprise and pain as he rubbed at his jaw.

"Ah…you wouldn't slap a pregnant women, would you, River?" the Time Lady said warily, taking a small step back from River as she turned her glare on her.

"Count your self-lucky," she muttered, still glaring at the brunet, who was even more confused now.

"Okay…" the Doctor turned back to face River, taking the Hatter's hand, "I'm assuming that's for something we haven't done yet".

"Yes, it is".

"Sounds like it was quite interesting," the Hatter said slowly, unsure of just how she should feel about what they might have done to earn that sort of reaction. The Doctor, yeah, she could see that, but her? What could she have done to upset River so badly?

"I don't understand," Rory shook his head, looking between the Doctor and the Hatter as they both turned to him, "How can you two be here?" he questioned, experimentally poking the Doctor's chest, as if to check he was real.

"We were invited," the Doctor told them, plucking a blue envelop out of River's hand, just like the one they had been left. He looked down at it, seeing that it was just like theirs, save for the number, "Date, map reference," he shrugged, chucking the envelope's onto a table beside him, not finding anything useful, "Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence".

Amy eyed the Time Lords, "River, what's going on?"

"Amy, ask them what age they are," River instructed her, urgency in her voice, not taking her eyes off the Time Lords.

"You should never ask a lady that," the Hatter commented in a sing-song voice, trying to lighten the mood. It was really starting to unsettle her just how serious they seemed to be.

"Tell her," she insisted firmly, narrowing her eyes at them, "Tell her what age you both are".

The Doctor pulled the straw out of his mouth, having been chewing on the end, "We're both nine hundred and nine," he replied, gesturing between himself and the Time Lady, "The Hatter only just had her birthday".

The Time Lady grinned broadly, recalling the day, "That was fun," she agreed, nodding happily, "Lots of cake, a food fight…ooh, and then we went dancing in the 1920's to top it off".

"But you said…" Amy began, frowning deeply.

"So where does that leave us, huh?" River demanded, cutting across Amy, growing upset as the Time Lords simply looked at her blankly, completely confused by what was going on, "Jim the Fish?" she waved a hand around at them, "Have we done Jim the Fish yet?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, glancing at the Hatter, who simply shrugged, just as clueless as him. He turned back to River, "Who's Jim the Fish?" he asked, slightly amused by the name.

Amy opened and closed her mouth for a moment, before shaking her head again, turning to River, "I don't understand".

"Yeah, you do…" Rory said, moving to wrap his arm around his wife.

"Well, we most certainly don't," the Hatter interrupted, frowning at them all, starting to grow quite annoyed with the lack of answers and confusing reactions they seemed to have towards them. They were clearly missing something big, but what could it possibly be? She narrowed her eyes slightly, fixing them each with a steady, searching look before settling on River, "Care to explain just what we are all doing here?"

River hesitated, exchanging a long and meaningful look with Amy and Rory that certainly didn't go unnoticed by the Time Lords. Slowly, she turned to face them once more, "We've been recruited," she explained to them, nodding to Amy and Rory, seeming to be thinking very carefully about everything she said. The Doctor put the straw back in his mouth, chewing it as he and the brunet listened closely, "Something to do with space, 1969…" she maintained eye contact with Amy and Rory as she continued, almost as if she was telling them to go along with her. The Hatter moved to sit on the nearest barstool, crossing her arms across her chest in annoyance at how they were clearly keeping details from them, while the Doctor turned and began to walk away, "And a man called Canton Everett Delaware the third," she finished.

"Recruited by who?" the Doctor questioned, his back still to them as he chewed on the straw in his frustration.

"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the Universe".

He spun back around to look at the Hatter, who blinked, realising what he was thinking, "I didn't do this," she shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly, "For goodness sakes, you _know_ I couldn't have. I'm just as confused by this entire thing as you are, sweetheart".

He eyed her for a moment longer before nodding. She could be a good actress when she tried, but not with him and she wouldn't have done all of this just for a prank. No, she was just as clueless as he was, he could see the frustration and confession written across her face. He pulled the straw out of his mouth and focused on River, raising his eyebrows at her, "Who else could it be?"

River's mouth twitched very slightly, but there was sadness in her face as she simply said softly, "Spoilers".

"Well, that's reassuring," the Time Lady said dryly, sighing heavily as she exchanged a look with the Doctor, both knowing that neither of them were going to get any answers out of River now.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter danced around the controls, hitting buttons and pulling levers as they moved, Amy leaning over the railings with her back to the rest of the room, while Rory and River stood back on opposite sides of the console, all seeming to be lost in their thoughts, hardly seeming to even be paying attention to the Time Lords. The Time Lady cast Amy's back a worried look, wishing she knew what was going on inside her head to make her seem just so terribly…sad.

"1969, that's an easy one!" the Doctor was saying as he moved around the controls, pulling a lever as he meet the Hatter midway around the controls, "Funny, how some years are easy," he remarked to the brunet, trying hard to hide just how frustrated and annoyed he was about the lack of answers. He didn't like not knowing, especially when they concerned the Hatter, and now that they had a child on the way it was even more important to him that she was safe. He gave himself a shake and moved to lean over the railing beside Amy, who didn't even look at him, "Now, 1482, full of glitches," he said, moving back over to the controls.

"Ah, yes, about that…" the Hatter paused, looking around the Time Rotor to him, her cheeks colouring slightly. She cleared her throat, "I had meant to try and fix that…"

He raised his eyebrows curiously, "What did you do?" he asked, sounding just a little too eager. It wasn't very often he got to learn about a mistake the Hatter had made in the past, she was usually quite good as hiding them from him. Sadly, he wasn't anywhere near as good and she always seemed to know some embarrassing little mistake he had made in the past.

Her cheeks grew darker, "Well, _technically_ , it was all Michael's fault," she said quickly, moving around the console stand beside him, "He…ah…" she coughed, looking away, "Might have spilt a soft drink over my controls while we were going to that era and caused a minor disruption in the Time Vortex during that time period, causing all those glitches. Not only did I spend a week repairing my console, but I also made the rule that no food or drink was allowed in the console room. _Ever_ ".

"First you dent the 1980's…"

"That was Max, not me…"

"And now you're telling me that you're the reason trying to get to 1482 is a complete nightmare?"

She sighed heavily, knowing that he wasn't going to let this go, not when she teased him so much for his own driving skills, "Alright, fine," she said flatly, nodding, "Yes, it was my fault. Completely and utterly my fault," she raised her eyebrows at him, "Happy, now?"

He laughed, sneaking a quick kiss, "A little bit," he admitted, and spun away from her, feeling quite proud of himself as he heard her huff behind him. He never could resist getting just a little bit of payback back after all her teasing, but he did have to admit, he did enjoy their banter, even if it ended up embarrassing him more often than not. He began to hit buttons on the controls, moving around them again, "Now, then," he said, growing serious as Amy pushed off the railing and walked down the stairs to sit beneath the glass floor. The Hatter watched her go, concerned, "Canton Everett Delaware III. That was his name, yeah?" he glanced over to River, who nodded in confirmation, "How many of those can there be?"

"Three, apparently," the Hatter smiled at him, amused as he made his way back around to her. She paused, considering it, "Possibly four, if he followed the tradition and names his own son after himself. Well, if he _has_ a son…"

River sighed and shook her in exasperation, walking past the Time Lords, following Amy down to the lower level of the console. The Doctor and the Hatter watched her go, both frowning as they exchanged a look, before turning to Rory, "Rory, is everybody cross with us for some reason?" the Doctor asked him, trying to sound causal and unconcerned.

"I'll find out," Rory said flatly, and headed off after the two women.

They watched him disappear down the stairs, feeling very suspicious and saddened that they're own friends seemed to be so upset and angry with them that they felt the need to hide away beneath the console from them. And they couldn't even try to listen in, not with the glass floor.

"I don't like this," the Doctor muttered to the Hatter, flipping a switch on the controls, throwing another look back towards the stairs that their friends had just gone down.

"Nor do I, sweetheart," she agreed softly, sighing heavily as she moved around to the typewriter, typing something into it, "They're obviously keeping something from us, something very big…"

"And no doubt dangerous," he added, frowning deeply down at the controls, "Whatever it is, it could be very easily putting you and our child in danger".

"I'm more then used to being in danger, and you and I are not nearly naïve enough to ever imagine that our child wouldn't inherit every one of our enemies. In fact, I would say that our child is probably safer right now than it ever will be once it's born and the Universe learns about it," she sighed again, placing a hand on her abdomen, "Will won't be able to keep it hidden for long".

"No," he agreed, stepping closer to her and covering her hand with his own, "But we can protect it…just as long as we know what we need to protect it from," he went on, narrowing his eyes angrily as he dropped his hand, turning back around towards the stairs.

The Hatter winced at his tone, but she didn't blame him in the slightest. She felt exactly the same way he did, because they had far more to worry about now then just their own lives, they also had to think about their child's. She placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently, "Please, don't start shouting at them," she urged him warily, "Shouting at them will get us nowhere. We need to remain calm now and, if they won't or can't tell us for whatever reason, then they need to give us some assurance".

He nodded, seeing her point, and ran a frustrated hand down his face, "But why _can't_ they tell us?" he wonder aloud, but she could only shake her head, not having any idea herself, and that was something that made her very, very nervous. He took a deep breath and moved to lie on his stomach, poking his head over the edge of the glass floor to look down at Amy, Rory, and River gathered together beneath. They stopped talking the moment they saw him, "We're being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around, looking impressed," he complained to them, only half lying, "What's the point in having you all?" and with that, he pulled himself back up and stood, moving back over to the controls.

The Time Lady shook her head fondly at him, "Well, aren't you just Mr Charming today?" she remarked, amused, "This is why you get slapped so often, sweetheart".

Rory and River made their way back up the stairs after a moment, while Amy followed soon after, the three of them seeming to have come to some sort of understanding.

"Time isn't a straight line…" the Doctor began, catching sight of them returning, flipping a lever as he spoke, "It's all bumpy wumpy…" the Hatter laughed, hitting a switch as she watched him start to move around the controls, "There's loads of boring stuff, like Sundays and Tuesdays and…" he angrily grabbed a lever, "Thursday afternoons," he ground out, flipping the lever down a little harder than necessary.

"Do be careful, sweetheart," the Hatter scolded him lightly, moving around the controls to lightly pat the lever that he had just flipped rather harshly, earning a soft hum from the TARDIS.

"Sorry, dear," he smiled apologetically at her, before lightly patting the console, too, "Anyway," he cleared his throat, getting back on track, "But now and then there are Saturdays," he eyes brightened with excitement at the idea, much to the brunet's amusement, agreeing with him, "Big temporal tipping points where anything is possible".

"And the TARDIS can't resist them," the Time Lady commented, smiling fondly at the console, reaching out to pat it again, "Just like us, she loves a party".

"So we give her 1969 and NASA," he continued happily, moving around to the Hatter's side, wrapping an arm around her waist, "Because that's space in the sixties, and Canton Everett Delaware the III, and this…" they moved around to the typewriter, the Hatter typing something into it before reaching up to hit a button on the scanner, while the others gathered around them. He grinned up at the screen, "Is where she's pointing".

"'Washington D.C,'" Amy frowned slightly, reading the scanners results, "'April the 8th, 1969,'" she glanced at the Time Lords, "So why haven't we landed?"

They turned around to face them, the Doctor shaking his head, "Because that's not where we're going".

"Oh," Rory blinked slightly, surprised and confused. He didn't think he had heard the Time Lords refuse to go somewhere before when there was a mystery to solve, "Where _are_ we going?"

"Home," the Hatter informed them, before pausing, "Well, what I really mean is that you two are," she corrected herself, gesturing between Amy and Rory.

"Off you pop and make babies," the Doctor agreed, nodding to the startled looking couple, "And you, Doctor Song, back to prison," he pointed to River, letting go of the Hatter's waist to take her hand instead, the two turning away and heading around to the other side of the console, "And us? We're late…" he hit a button as he past the controls, "…for a biplane lesson in 1911".

"Or it could be something else entirely, like knitting," the Time Lady shrugged, reaching across to flip a switch and hit another button, "I was thinking about knitting a baby jumper or something…until I remembered I didn't actually know _how_ to".

"Knitting and biplanes," he waved his free hand around, "One or the other," he flopped down on the jump seat and crossed his legs, covering his eyes, while the Hatter choose to lean against the railing beside him, still holding his hand as she rubbed her forehead warily.

Amy, Rory, and River exchanged a confused look and moved around the controls towards them, not quite knowing what to do.

"Seriously?" the Hatter said after a moment, lowering her hand to look back to them, narrowing her eyes very slightly as the Doctor's dropped his hand from his eyes and onto his knee, "We get a mysterious summons and you thought we were just going to _go_?" she scoffed, shaking her head as she let go of the Doctor's hand, crossing her arms across her chest, "You really thought we would just simply walk into a situation like that without a care, putting our unborn child possibly in harm's way after all the other times we've been summoned and it's ended badly?"

"Who sent those messages?" the Doctor asked, looking around at them, knowing that they knew very well who, "We know you _know_ , we can see it in your faces," his voice remained light as he continued, but there was an unmistakable warning his tone, "Don't play games with us, not when our child could be at risk. Don't ever, _ever_ think you're capable of that".

Perhaps, if this had happened before, then he and the Hatter would have simply gone along with it all, trusting that their friends wouldn't do anything that could possibly cause serious harm to anyone or the Universe, but not now, not when they had a child on the way that could be put at risk. They couldn't simply walk into things blindly now and trust in their friends judgment, no matter how much they might trust them and know that they wouldn't betray them.

River meet their eyes, her gaze steady, "You've going to have to trust us this time," she told them, keeping her voice calm.

"Trust _you_?" he looked at her sharply, the Hatter's expression darkening slightly, "Sure…" he almost scoffed and stood, moving closer to River, "But, first of all, Doctor Song, just tell us one thing: who are you?"

"We're well aware that you know us in the future," the Hatter added, her voice sounding surprisingly cool, her arms still crossed across her chest, "That's been perfectly clear to us both for some time now and I must confess, I do have my suspicions, but just who, _exactly_ , are you to us?"

River remained silent, her expression not changing, only her eyes flickered almost nervously between the Time Lords.

"Okay…" he nodded after a moment, eyeing her carefully, "Why are you in prison?" he tried again, "Who did you kill, hmm? Now, I love a bad girl, me…" he glanced back quickly to the Time Lady, who raised her eyebrows back at him. Her First regeneration practically had a panic attack at the idea of skipping class, she would hardly call that version of her a 'bad girl,' more like an academic over achiever with a serious need to let go and allow herself to have fun. Her more recent regenerations, though…they certainly had taken on a more flirty edge. The Doctor turned back to focus on River, "Trust you?" he raised his eyebrows at her, "And with my wife and child, seriously?"

The Hatter's expression soften just slightly as she watched River's face closely, noticing the way she flinched at his last sentence and lowered her gaze from the Doctor's for the first time. There was a flicker of pain and shame, perhaps? It crossed the other women's face so quickly that it was gone before the brunet had enough time to really see it, but she knew that their words had had a far greater effect on River then she was letting them see and she couldn't help feel guilty, not having wished to upset anyone, but they had left them with very little choice.

"Trust me," Amy suddenly said, taking a step forward, casting River a quick, concerned look.

The Doctor remained where he was, staring down River for a moment longer, "Okay," he eventually agreed, and turned to walk over to Amy, the Hatter trailing behind him, not missing the way that River closed her eyes painfully when she thought they weren't looking.

"You _have_ to do this, and you _can't_ ask why," Amy looked between them quickly, her tone firm.

The Hatter frowned slightly, looking at the panic and pain in her eyes that she was trying so hard to hide, "Amy, you do know that you can tell us _anything_ ," she said to her gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her arm, "Anything at all," the red head swallowed, avoiding the brunet's eyes, "Is someone threatening you?" she asked her, very seriously and concerned, "If they are, tell us and we can help, you _know_ we can…"

"No," she shook her head at once.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at Amy, "You're lying".

"I'm _not_ lying".

"Swear to us," he demanded, " _Swear_ to us on something that _matters_ ".

There was a long moment as Amy looked between them both, a small, soft smile crossing her face, "A scared little girl and fish fingers and custard," she replied quietly.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, the Time Lady nodding very slightly in agreement, before they both turned back to face the girl, breaking into faint smiles, "Our lives are in your hands, Amelia Pond," the Doctor told her.

The Time Lords moved away and back over to the controls, the Hatter glancing back over her shoulder to see Amy lower her head with a pained expression.

"Thank you," River breathed, but Amy didn't lift her head to acknowledge her. Rory put a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"So!" the Doctor called, clapping his hand, not noticing a thing from around the other side of the console, which was probably for the best, the Hatter thought. He spun on his heels and turned to the Hatter, taking her hand, "Canton Everett Delaware III! Who's he?"

River moved around to the typewriter and quickly set to work bringing the information up on the monitor above them, showing a small picture of a man in his thirties. The Time Lords joined her, looking up at the screen thoughtfully.

"Ex-FBI, got kicked out," River informed them, reading the information.

"Why?" the Doctor questioned, frowning slightly.

The Hatter raised her eyebrows, amused as she read, "He has a few 'attitude problems,' apparently," she said, glancing at him beside her, "Problems with authority".

He smiled slyly, looking at her fondly, "Sounds like someone else I know".

"I'm not _that_ bad with authority figures".

"Romana once band you from her office because the two of you got into a fight, and you accused her of destroying an entire generation of Time Lords".

"Well, she was!" she insisted, her cheeks growing pink, "It was the Time War and she had lowered the age limit for soldiers to two hundred years. That's almost like sending children off to fight! It was ridiculous".

"And then there was all the fights with your Mother…"

"All of which were perfectly justified…"

He shook his head at her, looking highly amused, "I've lost count how many times I've heard you get into a fight with an authority figure of some type," he commented, and that wasn't an understatement, either, "Even people you consider to be friends you've got into fights with".

She huffed, pointing a finger at him, "And you didn't spend half of your Third regeneration fighting with Alistair over something?" she rolled her eyes at him, "Don't pretend as if you're any better at dealing with authority figures, sweetheart."

River cleared her throat loudly, giving the Time Lords a pointed look, though, she seemed more amused then annoyed by their banter. Amy and Rory shook their heads, exchanging a look.

"Ah, yes, sorry," the brunet gave them a sheepish smile, glancing at the Doctor, "We got a little…side tracked," she turned back to River, "Please, go on".

"You two could get side tracked over anything," River remarked, almost fondly, and looked back up to the screen, "Six weeks after Canton Everett Delaware III left the Bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting," she informed them, glancing back to the Time Lords.

The Doctor frowned slightly, focusing back on the screen, "Yeah, 1969," he nodded, looking to the Hatter, "Who's President?"

"I found it hard to keep track of who was President on Gallifray," the Hatter said, before pausing, scrunching her face up in thought, "But, at a guess…Nixon?" she looked back to River.

River nodded, "Richard Milhous Nixon," she confirmed, looking back to the screen, "Vietnam, Watergate, there's some good stuff, too…"

The Doctor and the Hatter made faces, "Not enough," he muttered.

"Politicisations," the Time Lady grumbled.

"Hippie's!" River playfully accused them.

They both glanced at her, saying dryly, "Archaeologist".

River simply laughed them off, moving back as the Time Lords set to work moving around the controls again, setting up the coordinates, but not taking off quite yet.

"Okay!" the Doctor called once they had finished, clapping his hands as he glanced over to where Amy and Rory was standing, watching them, "Since we don't know what we're getting into this time, for once we're being discreet," he broke into an excited smile, reaching towards a lever. The Hatter raised her eyebrows at his back, deciding to simply humour him. It was more fun that way, "I'm putting the engines on silent".

He pulled the lever down and moved around the console, not seeming to hear the loud wailing sound that filled the room, making Amy and Rory wince, covering their ears at the noise. The Hatter rolled her eyes fondly, more amused then anything as she grimaced slightly at the awful sound, wondering how the Doctor could possibly be so oblivious to it as she leant over the console and flicked a button. The noise was silent immediately.

The Doctor ran back around the console behind the Time Lady, frowning at her slightly, "Did you do something, dear?" he asked her.

"Of course not," the Hatter shook her head, her voice perfectly innocent as she spun back around to face him, trying hard to ignore the knowing smirk on River's face, "Why would I meddle when you are quite _capable_ of driving yourself?"

He eyed her for a moment longer, not seeming to be entirely convinced. He knew that tone, she usually used that when she was humouring people…, "Putting the outer shield on invisible," he announced after a moment, and hurried around to the other side of the console, "I haven't done this in a while," he pulled a couple of levers and twisted a dial, " _Big_ drain on the power".

Rory blinked slightly, "You can turn the TARDIS invisible?" he asked, curiously.

"Ha!" he grinned, and flipped another switch.

The room was suddenly filled with bright lights coming off the roundels on the walls around the room, making the humans wince and narrow their eyes against the sudden glare.

The Hatter scoffed softly, exchanging a highly amused look with River, "So close, but still so far," she murmured, and motioned River to the console, since she was closest to the correct button.

"You find him adorable," River smirked at her, keeping her voice low, "Admit it".

"Oh, I do," she nodded at once, smiling as she glanced over to where the Doctor, completely oblivious, was fiddling with another control, "Why do you think I humour him so much? It's for this very reason".

River laughed softly and moved closer to the controls, pulling down the correct lever as Amy and Rory shook their heads in exasperation. The bright lights dimmed once again.

The Doctor was back around to their side almost at once, narrowing his eyes at both women, highly suspicious by their matching innocent expressions, "Er, did you touch something?" he looked between them.

River shook her head, exchanging a quick look with the brunet, "Just admiring your skills, sweetie," she replied.

He turned his attention onto her, missing the smile that the Hatter hid behind her hand, "Good," he nodded to her, glancing over to Amy and Rory, "You might learn something…"

"How _not_ to drive a TARDIS, perhaps?" the Hatter whispered to River, struggling to hold back a giggle as he turned his back.

"What was that?" he suddenly spun back around to face them, his eyes fixing on the Time Lady, who quickly wiped the smile off her face.

"Oh, I was just saying how handsome you are when you're being all clever," she assured him, giving him a slow smile and stepping forward to kissing his cheek, knowing exactly what to say and do to distract him.

He blinked for a moment before quickly returning her smile, straightening his bowtie smugly, "Yeah?"

"Very much so, sweetheart".

He continued to smile smugly for a moment, leaning closer to her, before Amy cleared her throat loudly. He blushed faintly, remembering what he had been doing before he had been…side tracked, "Right!" he clapped his hands, turning back to the controls, moving around to the scanner, missing the small high five that River and the Hatter exchanged behind his back, "Okay," he twisted a dial on the screen, before hitting the side of the screen when only static appeared. He shook his head, "Now I can't check the scanner. It doesn't work when we're cloaked…"

The Hatter shook her head, amused, mouthing, 'Not quite…'

"Um…" he glanced over to them, "Just give us a mo…" he ran around the console and down the steps, before coming to a skidding halt in front of the doors when he realised that they had hurried after him, save for the Hatter, who had moved to lean over the railing facing the doorway, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" he held up his hand, making them come to a stop, "You lot…wait a moment. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the most powerful country on Earth…" he opened the door, still looking back to them, "Let's take this slow. Hatter, coming?" he began to step out.

"No, I think you can handle this, sweetheart," the Hatter smiled at him, giving him a little wave. He looked back to her in mild surprise before shrugging, disappearing outside. She sighed and glanced at the others, "He's so going to get tackled".

…

The Doctor stepped out of the invisible TARDIS, closing the door behind him, and turned around to find himself standing right in the middle of the Oval Office of the White House. He blinked slightly, looking around the dimly lit space, when a ringing noise caught his attention and he looked across the room to see a the President standing before a darkened window, looking out, while another man was sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk, facing Nixon, both men with their backs to the Doctor, seeming to be listening to a tape recorder playing on the desk, from which the ringing noise had come from.

The ringing continued for a moment as the Doctor crept forward, "Hello?" a man's voice came over the recording, seeming to have answered the phone, "Who is this? This is President Nixon. Who's calling? Is this you again?"

"Mister President?" another voice came over the recording, sounding like a child's.

"A child?" the man seating before the desk said, sounding surprised.

The Doctor frowned slightly, knowing that the Hatter would be very concerned when she learnt about this.

"This is the President, yes," the recording continued.

"I'm scared, Mister President," the child said softly, sounding frightened, "I'm scared of the spaceman".

"A little girl?" the seated man remarked.

Nixon shook his head, still looking out the window, "Boy," he corrected.

"How can you be sure?"

"What spaceman?" the Nixon on the recording asked, "Where are you phoning from?" the Doctor reached inside his pocket and slowly, trying desperately not to make a sound, withdrew a notepad and pencil, starting to jot down what the recording was saying, "Where are you right now? Who are you?"

"Jefferson," the child spoke again, "Adams, Hamilton".

"Jefferson, listen to me…" the sound of a phone dial cut off what the recording of Nixon was going to say before the recording ended completely.

The seated man straightened in his chair, looking over to Nixon, "Surely this is something the Bureau could handle, sir," he remarked, not sounding overly concerned.

"These calls happen wherever I am," Nixon informed him, not turning away from the window, "How do I know the Bureau isn't involved?" the Doctor, still taking notes, nodded in agreement with his logic, "I can't trust anyone…" he turned around, only to stop short upon catching sight of a man standing in the middle of his office, scribbling away in a notepad. The seated man noticed Nixon's face and looked behind him, quickly standing to face the man, alarmed.

The Doctor, realising that they had stopped talking, glancing up to them and motioned to them to continue talking, going back to his notepad, jotting down a few more words when he noticed that they hadn't said a word. Slowly, he looked back up to see the two men staring at them, both looking quite alarmed and startled, "Oh!" he exclaimed, giving them a bright smile, "Hello!" he lowered his voice, holding up a hand, "Bad moment…" he began to back away, realising that this might not have been one of his better plans, after all. He pretended to look around, still trying to back away towards the TARDIS, "Oh look, this is the _Oval_ Office! I was looking for the, uh…" he walked into a small table, almost knocking over a lamp sitting on top of it. He quickly grabbed it before it fell, straightening it as he continued talking, "…Oblong room…"

Nixon reached across his desk and pressed a security button.

He followed the gesture, growing slightly nervous now. Maybe the Hatter had the right idea staying safely inside the TARDIS, after all, "I'll…I'll just be off then, shall I?" he gave them a cheerful smile and straightened his blazer, turning around…only to walk straight into the invisible TARDIS, falling backwards onto the ground with a grunt of pain.

….

"One…" the Hatter began warily, holding up a finger as she stood by the controls inside the TARDIS, Amy, Rory, and River gathered around her, "Two…" another finger, "Three…"

Something hit the time machine from the outside and the entire room shook, jolting them all slightly before they righted themselves. Amy and Rory blinked, slightly startled.

River shook her head, amused as she exchanged a look with the Time Lady, "Every time…"

….

Outside, the Doctor winced and jumped back onto his feet, holding a hand to his cheek, "Don't worry!" he called through the doors, "It always does that when its cloaked," suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, trapping his arms, "Ah, no, don't!" he cried, his eyes widening as he was tackled onto the ground, his face pressed into the thick carpet, and his arm twisted painfully around his back, "No, stop that!"

….

"Right, then," the Hatter said brightly, moving around the console and grabbing the monitor, wheeling it back around to Amy, Rory, and River, "Let's see exactly what the adorable idiot's gone and done now".

"He said the scanner wouldn't work," Rory frowned at her, confused.

"He did, didn't he?" she agreed absently, grabbing a cable from beneath the controls, pulling it up towards the screen.

"Bless," River commented, amused.

The Time Lady shrugged, glancing back to Rory and Amy, "With the Doctor, you can take what he says about what the TARDIS can and can't do with a grain of salt most of the time…" she connected the cable with the screen and the console sparked as the screen flickered.

Amy and Rory gasped, jumping back.

The images on the screen finally cleared of static, showing the Oval Office and the Doctor being forced down onto the floor by another man, Canton, the Hatter guessed, and he was twisting the Doctor's arm in a rather painful angle behind his back

"Ow!" the Doctor was groaning, his voice muffled into the carpet, "Ow, ow!"

The Hatter sighed, wincing in sympathy for the Doctor, shaking her head at the screen, "I did say he would end up getting tackled".

A door off to the side of the room burst open and several Secret Service agents rushed into the room, the leader with his gun already drawn and aimed down at the Doctor, "Lockdown!" the leader shouted around to the other agents, "Lockdown!"

The Secret Service agents all began to swarm around the Doctor, helping to hold him down as the Hatter typed something into the console and the angle of the camera changed to show a clearer image of the Doctor on the ground.

"Not that!" the Doctor cried out, sounding pained, "Ow!"

"Aren't you going to help him?" Amy asked, glancing at the Hatter.

"Soon," the Hatter replied calmly, seeming completely unconcerned.

The Doctor tried twisting a bit, lifting his head very slightly from out of the carpet, "Hatter, have you got the scanner working yet?" he called loudly, his voice sounding almost strained.

"Of course I do," she rolled her eyes, almost insulted that he would actually ask her something like that.

"Didn't doubt you for a second, dear!" he said loudly, as if he had actually heard her reply, a small smile crossing his face.

"Get the President out of here!" Canton shouted, looking back over his shoulder towards where Nixon was being guarded by two other agents behind his desk, both with their own guns aimed at the Doctor. Nixon opened his mouth, looking ready to protest as the agents began ushering him over towards the door, "Sir, you have to go with them now!" he told the man firmly, seeing him trying to argue.

"Hatter, make her blue again!"

The Hatter laughed slightly, shaking her head fondly as she moved around the console, hitting a button, "So demanding," she said mockingly, more amused then she probably ought to have been, but it was the Doctor. He did this on a regular bases. She pulled one last lever and took the cloak off, before hurrying back around to the screen, not wanting to miss seeing their reaction.

And they didn't disappoint as they all froze, looking up at the blue box as it suddenly became visible before them, letting go of the Doctor in their shock and amazement, glancing at each other as if to check that they were actually seeing a great big blue box. Luckily, their shock gave the Doctor a chance to slip away from them, completely unnoticed.

"What the hell is that?" Nixon breathed, his eyes wide, staring at the TARDIS.

The agents finally seemed to realise that the Doctor had disappeared and looked back down at the floor, before they rose and spun around, finding the Doctor calmly sitting back at the President's desk with his feet propped up on the desk, flipping through a folder.

"Mister President…" he began, mimicking an American accent as he shut the folder. He looked up with a grin and tossed the folder back onto the desk, but his smile dimming quickly as he suddenly found all of the agents, save for Canton, aiming their guns at him.

"Typical," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head at the screen.

"That child told you everything you need to know, but you weren't listening," he continued quickly, looking at Nixon, who was, once again, being shielded by two agents. The Time Lady frowned slightly, wondering just what they had missed and what it had to do with a child, "Never mind, though, because the answer's yes," he clapped his hands together, pretending not to be bothered by the guns still aimed at him, "We'll take the case," he sighed slightly, eyeing the guns, "Fellas, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States and parked a big blue box on the rug?" he raised his eyebrows at them, "Do you really think you can shoot me?"

"That's our cue!" River said, and ran down the stairs and across to the doors, the Hatter right behind her with Amy and Rory following. She threw the doors open and ran out, "They're Americans!" she shouted at the Doctor as the Hatter stepped out behind her, casting the guns a wary look as the agents suddenly turned and aimed them at them.

"Don't shoot!" the Doctor jumped up, holding his hands up frantically, looking hurriedly over to the Hatter as the agents seemed unsure who posed more of a threat, "Definitely no shooting!"

"Nobody shoot us either," Rory called nervously as he and Amy stepped out of the TARDIS, his hands raised and his head ducked, almost as if he was trying to make himself a smaller target, "Very much not in need of getting shot. Look, we've got our hands up".

"Who the hell are you?" Nixon demanded, frowning at the Doctor.

"Sir," Canton held out a hand towards Nixon, seeming to be completely calm and even a little bit amused, "You need to stay back".

"But who are they?" he asked, still frowning, "And what is that box?"

"It's a police box," the Doctor told him, giving him a strange look as he glanced over to the TARDIS, "Can't you read?" he lowered his hands.

"Don't be rude, sweetheart," the Hatter scolded him lightly, because that was exactly the sort of thing he would do when they had a group of twitchy, armed men pointing guns at them. Honestly, he was going to get them all shot.

He flashed her a broad smile before clapping his hand, turning back to the agents before him, "We're your new undercover agents on loan from Scotland Yard," he lied quickly, "Code name the Doctor. That's my partner in all things, code name the Hatter," he pointed at the Hatter, who smiled and gave them all a little wave, "And these are our top operatives," he gestured to Amy, Rory, and River, "The Legs, the Nose, and…"

"Mrs Robinson," the Time Lady cut in, grinning cheekily at River, unable to resist.

River sighed, shaking her head, "I hate you," she mock glared at her.

She continued grinning at her, playfully flicking the tip of her nose, "No, you really don't".

"Who are you?" Nixon asked again, looking back and forth between the strange man and the other four strangers.

"Nah, boring question," the Doctor shook his head, waving him off before pointing a finger at him, "Who's phoning you? That's interesting. Because Canton Three is right, that was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from".

"Where?" Canton questioned simply, clearly interested.

"Do not engage with the intruder, Mr Delaware!" the first agent ordered sternly, keeping his gun fixed on the Doctor, seeming to feel that he posed the biggest threat, after all.

The Doctor hardly even glanced at the agent, not at bothered by the gun, "You heard everything I heard," he remarked, shrugging as he focused back on Canton, "It's simple enough, give us…" he paused, looking over to the Hatter, who held up five fingers with a confidant smile. He returned the smile, nodding to her, "Five minutes, we'll explain," he calmly sat back down behind the desk, looking back to Canton, "On the other hand, lay a finger on me or my friends, _especially_ my wife…" he propped his legs up on the table top, crossing his ankles, a note of warning in his tone, "And you'll never, ever know".

"How did you it in here?" Canton said after a moment, gesturing behind him towards the TARDIS, curious, "I mean, you didn't carry it in…"

"Good, isn't it?" the Hatter grinned slyly, winking as Canton looked back to her.

He smiled slightly back at her, "Love it".

"Do not compliment the intruders!" the same agent as before commanded, adjusting his grip on his gun still aimed at the Doctor, looking very tense and stressed.

Canton ignored him, looking back and forth between the Time Lords, "Five minutes?" he asked, thoughtful.

"Five," the Doctor confirmed with a nod.

"Mr President, that man and woman is a clear and present danger…" the agent began, seeming to come to the conclusion that he needed to appeal to a higher authority then Canton.

"Mr President," Canton cut across the agent, still looking between the Time Lords with a faint, almost impressed smile, "That man walked in here with a big blue box and four of his friends, and that's…" he pointed over to the agent, "The man he walked past," he looked back to Nixon, who was clearly listening, but still looking confused, "One of them's worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes," he shrugged, turning back to the Doctor, "See if he delivers".

"Finally, someone who actually _listens_ ," the Hatter sighed in relief, smiling slightly. She was tempted to cross the room to stand beside the Doctor, but she decided that the agents still seemed a little too twitchy with their trigger fingers for her to do that safely yet.

"Yes, thanks, Canton," the Doctor smiled at the man.

"If he doesn't," Canton continued, his tone and expression not changing, "I'll shoot him myself".

His smile faded, exchanging a look with the Hatter, "Not so thanks…." he muttered.

"Sir, I cannot recommend…" the agent tried again.

"Shut up, Peterson!" Nixon snapped at him, and the agent immediately fell silent. He glanced back to the Doctor, eyeing him for a moment before glancing over to Canton with a resigned expression, "Alright".

Canton nodded and turned back to the Doctor, holding up five fingers, "Five minutes".

The Hatter cleared her throat, catching the man's attention again, "Would you mind…" she waved a hand towards the guns still aimed at them, giving Canton a hopeful look, one hand resting almost protectively over her stomach.

"Stand down," he ordered, looking around at the agents. Most of the men still seemed unsure, but one hard look for Nixon and they all lowered their weapons, putting them back inside their holsters.

"Thank you very much," the brunet grinned broadly, very relieved that she didn't have to worry about sneezing now and ended up shot, though she wouldn't put it past some of the agents to still whip out their gun if she did so while standing beside the President. She calmly weaved through the men and came to stand behind the desk with the Doctor, draping an arm over the top of the chair to rest on his shoulder.

The Doctor smiled up at her, grabbing her hand and kissing it quickly, before turning back around to focus on Canton, sitting up straighter in the chair and lowering his legs back onto the ground, "We're going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilise," he told them, talking fast as he reached over to fiddle with a phone. The Hatter shook her head and lightly hit his hand away from it, giving him a pointed look as he sheepishly focused back on the men before him, "Street level maps covering all of Florida, a pot of coffee…"

"Jammy dodgers," the Time Lady added eagerly, "Twelve would be nice, along with a couple of green apples," she sighed, shaking her head, "I've got the worst craving for green apples".

He clicked a finger at her, breaking into a broad grin at the thought of his favourite biscuit, not at all surprised by her other request for green apples. She had been having a green apple with practically every meal for the past month, "And a fez," he turned back to the men, pausing in consideration, "Make that two fezzes," he tapped his fingers on the desk top in excitement.

Canton simply looked between them for a moment, "Get them they're maps," he said, before pausing, glancing at the Hatter's hopeful expression and the way she had a hand resting on her stomach, noticing a very small bump. He sighed slightly, "And _one_ green apple".

The Time Lords looked at each other, the Hatter grinned broadly at the fact that she was still getting an apple, while the Doctor simply looked disappointed. She shook her head fondly at him and leaned down, kissing his cheek happily. Well, he had to admit, he would take a kiss on the cheek from the Hatter over a fez or SWAT team any day.

 _ **Yes, finally, season six! I still can't quite believe we've actually managed to get this far without me losing interest, but if anything my interest in the story has only grown since first starting it. I apologise if there are any big mistakes I missed, I had to do this without my reading glasses because the frames have broken on them and I will very likely have to have them completely replaced. My eye sight really isn't that bad, I can walk around perfectly fine without glasses on and get away without them most of the time, it's just that things are a bit more blurry around the edges without them on.**_

 _ **Now, the first part of this story that shows the Time Lords going through time and waving back to Amy and Rory, consider that to be a sneak peek for our Time Lords future. I left little hints in there as to what's going to happen, I just couldn't help tease you guys just a little bit.**_

 _ **Next chapter, Amy has big news for our Time Lords, a bit of flirting, and which American historical figure has the Hatter snogged? Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_


	2. Chapter 2 The Impossible Astronaut, P2

_**The Impossible Astronaut, Part 2**_

The Oval Office was covered with maps, from the chairs in the middle of the room, the coffee table, the desk, even the floor was littered with different maps. Some of them were coloured with blues and greens marking out rivers or park areas, while a few were black and white, but each one was based on a Florida or an area of Florida. Amy and Rory were sitting across from each other on the sofas in the middle of the room, watching while the Doctor and the Hatter carefully examined maps, the Time Lady chewing on her green apple as she leaned over one of the maps scattered across the coffee table, before shaking her head and tossing the map aside carelessly, moving to lean over the Doctor's shoulder to look at the map he was looking over, having been standing behind her. River was kneeling on the floor on the other side of the room, flipping through another pile of maps.

All around the room, Secret Service agents were moving around, some bringing in more maps for them to look over, while others were still on high alert, clearly not at all comfortable by the fact that five complete strangers, who had just appeared in the middle of the White House in a blue box, were being given such free reign in the President office with Nixon standing back with Canton by his desk and two agents, watching the entire thing unfold.

The Doctor picked up the map he was looking at and held it up, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter beside him, who gave a small nod. The map was slightly more detailed then some of the ones they had been provided, and from what he had explained to her of what he had overheard from a recording, that was exactly what they needed right now. Details, as in clear _street_ details. He began to stroll across the room, heading for Nixon's desk, stepping over maps as he went with the Time Lady choosing to go back to looking over maps scattered across the coffee table instead, tucking her knees beneath her as she knelt on the rug, her apple forgotten as she sat it aside on the table.

"Why Florida?" Canton asked the Doctor as he passed by him, turning to watch him place the map he was holding on the desk, joining several other maps that covered the desk already.

"There's where NASA is," the Doctor replied, not looking back to him, busy trying to spread the map out. The Hatter glanced up, frowning slightly as she noticed the wary expression that crossed River's face as she too looked up at the question. So there was something about NASA that bothered River? Hmm, that was interesting, "She mentioned a spaceman," he continued, talking about the little girl who had been calling Nixon, apparently, "NASA's where the spacemen live. Also…" he paused, glancing up from the map and looking back over his shoulder to the Hatter, meeting her eyes, "There's another lead we're following".

The Hatter looked back down to the map spread out before her, but stopped when she noticed Amy standing and moving to crouch beside River, talking to quietly for even her ears to catch. Whatever it was that they were discussing, it seemed to be causing both women concern and they kept casting quick looks towards herself and the Doctor. She sighed heavily, lowering her eyes back down to the map, really not liking how they were hiding things from her and the Doctor, but what more could she and the Doctor do try and get it out of them? They were clearly not going to tell them, for whatever reason, and all they could do was trust in them. Still, that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"Amy?" Rory's voice caught the Hatter's attention a moment later, and she looked up to see that River had moved away and Amy had turned towards the doorway, where Rory now stood before her, looking concerned, "What did you remember?"

Amy blinked, a funny, almost distant expression crossing her face before it was gone. The Hatter climbed onto her feet, frowning deeply, sensing something…off. Amy gave herself a sharp shake, "I don't know," she said, frowning faintly, "I just…" she stopped suddenly, inhaling shakily and quickly pressed a hand to her mouth, as if she was about to be sick, growing very pale. Slowly, her hand fell from her mouth to touch her stomach.

The Hatter moved closer to them, eyeing Amy closely in concerned, "Amy, are you feeling alright?" she asked her, her eyes darting down to the hand still resting on her stomach. If she didn't know better…

"Amy?" River called from one of the sofas, looking up from a map she was examining.

The Doctor moved away from the desk with another map in his hands, casting Amy a quick, small frown, "Are you alright?" he questioned her as he passed by.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine," Amy tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. The Hatter frowned slightly and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm just…" she swallowed, glancing at Rory, "Feeling a little sick," she shook her head and put a hand on her stomach, moving towards the doorway where one of the agents was standing guard, "Excuse me, is there a toilet or something?" she asked him.

"Sorry, ma'am," the agent said to her, glancing over towards Nixon, "During this procedure, you must remain within the Oval Office".

"Shut up and take her to the rest room," Canton ordered the agent, the Time Lady gave him a small smile, liking him more and more.

The agent looked at him for a long moment, not at all pleased, but he didn't dare to try and argue in front of Nixon. He glance at the agent standing beside him, who nodded and turned to Amy, "This way, ma'am," he held out a hand to her lead her out of the room.

"Thanks," Amy muttered, starting to leave the room.

"Are you sure you don't want someone to come with you?" the Hatter called after her, watching her retreating back, deeply concerned. She had a faint suspicion, but that could just simply be due to her own state.

She glanced back to her over her shoulder, "No, I'll be okay," she tried to smile again, this time it looked a bit more real and disappeared around the doorframe, heading off down the hallway with the second agent leading the way.

Rory moved to follow her, but the first agent blocked his way, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. The Hatter gave Rory a reassuring look, knowing how worried he probably was for his wife, and pattered his shoulder as she moved past him to join the Doctor across the room as he carefully examine another map on Nixon's desk.

"Your five minutes are up," Canton told them, watching as the Time Lords leaned over the map.

"Yeah?" the Doctor remarked, not looking at him, "And where's our fezzes?" he finally looked up from the map and over to the Hatter standing beside him, "How's Amy?"

"I'm not sure," the Hatter replied, frowning slightly, feeling concern wash over her again for the young woman, "She said she was feeling sick and she turned a rather impressive shade of green".

He began to frown, too, casting a quick look over towards the doorway, before shaking his head and turning back to the brunet, "And what about you?" he asked, taking her hand.

She smiled at him, "I'm _fine_ ," she assured him, trying hard not to roll her eyes at how much he had been fussing over her lately. She hated being fussed over, but considering that he was doing it out of concern for her and their child, she was trying hard to make an effort not to get too annoyed. So far, she thought she was doing quite well.

"You would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?"

This time she couldn't hold back the eye roll, "Of course, sweetheart," she sighed, shaking her head at him, "Now please, can we get back to work and stop worrying about me?"

He flashed her a broad smile, winking, "I always worry about you, dear," he said, shrugging, "Someone has to if you won't".

"Yes, well, I have a very good reason to right now," she commented, absently brushing a hand down her stomach. Since finding out that she was pregnant, she had become painfully aware of just how reckless she could be, how impulsive some of her actions had been, but she knew that had to change now. She was going to have make an effort to reign herself back from jumping into the middle of something without thinking twice because she would not put her child at risk, not when it already was.

They went back to work examining maps, running their eyes carefully over the tiny streets that was marked out across the paper spread out across the desk before them, while Nixon sat back in his chair, watching them and Canton hovered around them. The phone on the desk suddenly began ringing, catching all of their attention.

Canton's eyes flew to the phone before glancing quickly to the Time Lords backs as they continued to lean over the map, "The kid?" he wondered.

Nixon began to stand from his chair, "Should I answer it?" he questioned, looking to the Time Lords.

"Here!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, straightening as he pointed to a spot on the map, "The only place in the United States that call could be coming from!"

"I can't believe it took us so long to find it," the Hatter shook her head, feeling foolish for not having found it straight away.

"Obvious, when you think about it," he agreed, nodding as River and Rory moved closer, just as Amy walked back into the room.

Canton moved closer to the map, looking down at the spot, "You are geniuses".

The Time Lady grinned, almost smugly as the Doctor stretched his back after having spent quite a while bent over, "Just a little bit," she shrugged.

He looked back across the desk to Nixon, the sound of the phone ringing shrilly still going on, "Mr President, answer the phone," he instructed him.

Nixon hesitated for a moment before reaching out and picking up the phone's receiver, clicking a button on the tape recording as he lifted the phone up to his ear, "Hello?" he said into the phone as they all waited, listening intently, "This is President Nixon".

"It's here!" a little girl's voice cried fearfully, making the Hatter wince, "The spaceman's here! It's going to get me! It's going to eat me!"

"We have to go," the Hatter said quickly, not waiting for a response before turning and making a dash for the TARDIS, needing to get to that scared little girl.

The Doctor clicked his finger at her and hurried over to where he had draped his blazer over the back of a chair, "There's no time for a SWAT team!" he agreed, pulling his blazer on, throwing Amy, Rory, and River a quick look, "Let's go!" the three of them nodded and followed after the Time Lady, who had already thrown the time machine's doors open and disappeared inside. He turned back to Nixon and Canton, backing back towards the TARDIS himself, "Mr President, tell her help's on the way!" he called to them, talking fast, "Canton, on no account follow me into this box and close the door behind you".

"What the hell are you doing?" Canton demanded as the Doctor stepped inside the TARDIS after Rory, disappearing. He ran after them and into the box, slamming the door shut, only to stop short as he found himself standing inside a huge room within the tiny box, his eyes widening in shock as he took it all in, hardly noticing the shaking around him and the strange wheezing sound.

The Doctor and the Hatter where already up at the controls, dancing around them as River helped fly the TARDIS, setting the coordinates in for their next destination. Amy was standing back up by the controls, watching them work as she grabbed hold on the console to keep herself from being tossed around, while Rory stood behind Canton by the doors, watching the man's reaction.

"Jefferson isn't a girl's name," the Doctor remarked, shaking his head as he pulled a lever, "It's not her name either".

"However, they are _three_ very important names," the Hatter added, flicking a switch, "Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton…" she moved around to hit a button beside River, raising her eyebrows at the other women.

"Surnames of three of America's founding fathers," River said at once, nodding.

"Lovely fellas," the Doctor commented, moving around to the Hatter's side, giving her a wink, "Two of them fancied me".

"I snogged one of them once," the Time Lady admitted with a shrug, making him blink and look back to her, startled by that information. She smiled at him, "Oh, and Betsy Ross. Blimey, that was a wild night".

He stared at her, opening and closing his mouth for a moment, "You…" he waved a hand at her, shaking his head, "And Betsy Ross?"

"What can I say? Historical figures like to lock lips with me, it's not as if I encouraged them, it just happened," she sniffed slightly haughtily, "I am a Time Lady, after all, I don't just go around snogging people".

He gave himself a sharp shake, making a mental note to get the full story out of her later on, "I don't blame them, dear," he said, and snuck a quick kiss to her lips before moving back around the controls again, making her laugh.

Canton spun around to face Rory, his eyes still wide and his mouth hanging open, "You okay?" Rory asked him, not at all fazed by the man's reaction as he turned back around to stare at the console. He nodded, "Coping?"

"Now, from what I understand Nixon asked the little girl two questions," the Hatter began, the Doctor nodded in confirmation, "'Where are you and who are you?'" she began typing something into the typewriter, "She was replying to his first question, hence those names".

"It's bigger on the inside…" Canton breathed, completely oblivious to the conversation going on across the room.

"Yeah…" Rory nodded, casting his eyes around the room himself, "You get used to it…"

"Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?" the Doctor asked, looking around at the three girls.

"Where?" Amy questioned.

"Why, here, of course," the Hatter replied, flashing her a bright smile as she grabbed a lever, pulling it down, and landing the TARDIS smoothly.

"Come on!" the Doctor called, grabbing the Time Lady's hand and making a dash for the doors, Amy and River running behind them, but Canton blocked they're way, putting a hand on the Doctor's chest.

Canton waved his hand around, still looking rather stunned, "It's, er…." he trailed off, lost for words.

"Are you taking care of this?" the Doctor looked to Rory, before patting his shoulder and strolling passed him with the Hatter, heading outside with River following.

"Why is it always my turn?" Rory complained loudly, watching them go.

Amy stopped, turning back to him, "Because you're the newest," she smiled at him and kissed his cheek, before happily heading outside. She frowning slightly as she closed the TARDIS door behind her, looking around, "Where are we?"

They had landed in a darkened office-like room that looked as if it hadn't been used in years, covered in a thick layer of dust and with papers scattered around the room, along with several old chairs and other pieces of furniture that had been pushed to the edges of the room. On one side of the room was an old desk where the Doctor was happily sitting, waving around a small American flag while the Hatter was curiously flickering through papers, before sneezing loudly from the dust. She soon abandoned the paper and took a seat on the desk top, not caring about the dust on her clothing.

"I would say that we're about five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Centre," the Time Lady informed Amy, glancing back over her and River, her nose still tingling uncomfortably. She was going to end up falling off the desk if she saw a spider anywhere near her.

"It's 1969, the year of the moon," the Doctor added, smiling over to the Hatter, trying hard not to laugh at the expression she made when she sneezed. He couldn't decide whether it was cute or funny, probably a bit of both. He glanced back behind him to Amy pulled out a torch and lit it, while River began using a small hand-held device to scan the room, moving around the room, "Interesting, don't you think?"

Amy frowned, taking in the filthy room, "But why would a little girl be here?" she asked.

"Not sure yet," the Hatter sighed slightly, casting her eyes around, "Perhaps, whomever this 'spaceman' really is lost her," she didn't fail to miss the look that passed between Amy and River as she continued, "When Nixon asked her where she was, she did what every little lost girl would do," she stood and moved around the desk to peer out the window, moving the blinds open a gap, spotting a sign post outside with Jefferson, Adams, and Hamilton labelled on the signs, "She looked outside the window".

"Streets!" Amy realised as the Doctor stood, moving to look out the window himself, "Of course, they're street names".

"The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three names on the same junction," the Doctor nodded, and moved to lean against the window frame, focusing on the Time Lady with a smile, "And Hatter, you've got that face on again".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, leaning on the window frame across from him, copy his pose, "Oh?"

"Yeah, that 'he's adorable when he's clever' face".

She began to smile, "I thought this was my normal face, sweetheart," she shrugged innocently, unable to keep the teasing from her voice.

He smirked slyly back at her, taking a step closer until they were only inches apart, "Yes, it is," he agreed.

"You love it".

"Very much so".

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning closer to his face so that her lips lightly brushed his ear, "I imagine it's very similar to your 'she's sexy when she's being bossy' look," she whispered.

He blushed as she pulled back, still looking highly amused, "Stop it," he muttered, not very seriously.

"Make me," she shot back, stepping closer to him again.

"Yeah, well, maybe I will…"

"Guys!" Amy called loudly, making them both jump and turn back to find her and River watching them, caught between amusement and exasperation. She sighed, "Can you do the flirting thing later?"

The Hatter cleared her throat, feeling a blush covering her cheeks, too, "Yes, right, sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed that they had gotten so caught up in their flirting when they should have been focusing on the little girl. She ran a hand down her front, turning away from the Doctor. She noticed a phone sitting on the desk and picked it up, listening to it, and frowned, "Doctor?" she said, catching his attention.

The Doctor moved back to her side and took the phone, lifting it up to his ear, too. River walked away with Amy, looking around the room as the Doctor's expression grew confused, lowering the receiver back onto the desk, exchanging a look with the brunet. The TARDIS door opened and Canton stepped out with Rory.

"We've moved!" Canton exclaimed, turning around on the spot, waving his hands around in disbelief as he looked around the room, "How…how can we…have moved?" he began laughing.

The Doctor took the Hatter's hand and they moved around the desk, stepping closer to the two men, "You haven't even got to _space travel_ yet?" the Doctor remarked, amused as he looked past Canton to Rory.

Rory closed the TARDIS door behind him, "I was going to cover it with time travel".

If possible, Canton's eyes widened even more, "Time travel?" he repeated, turning back to Rory, stunned.

"Brave heart, Canton," the Doctor told him, and spun around, clapping his hands as the Hatter laughed, "Come on," he and the Time Lady headed off after Amy and River, who had disappeared through a doorway.

"So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside, and it travels through time and space…" Canton began as he and Rory followed the Time Lords.

"Yeah, basically," Rory nodded.

"How long have Scotland Yard had this?"

"It's a warehouse of some kind," River said as they joined her and Amy outside the office, making their way further into an even darker warehouse-like space that was filled with even more junk, using their torches to guide them, "Disused".

"This is obviously a trap," the Hatter commented lightly, holding the Doctor's hand tighter, not liking just how dark the place was. Perfect hiding spot for someone to watch them before attacking.

"I noticed the phone, yes," she agreed warily.

"What about it?" Amy asked, frowning.

"It was cut off. So how did the child phone from here?"

"Okay…" she said slowly, still frowning as she looked at River's back, "But why would anyone want to trap us?"

"Again, we don't know quite yet," the Hatter replied, sighing heavily, really not liking how little they actually _knew_.

"Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards," the Doctor added, almost cheerfully.

They continued making their way through the warehouse, keeping an eye out for anything hiding in the shadows as they did so, "Now, why would a little girl be here?" River wondered aloud, shinning her torch around as they passed by more junk.

"We don't know," the Doctor shook his head, exchanging a frown with the Time Lady beside him, "Let's fine her and ask her".

Finally, they seemed to come across something helpful. Up ahead of them was some sort of laboratory examination table that had been set up, bathed in a bright light with numerous wires hanging around it from above, connected to a large piece of alien machinery. Carefully, they began to move towards the table, the Hatter slowly circling it as she eyed it curiously.

"Its non-terrestrial," River informed them, checking the results from her hand-held scanner, "Definitely alien, probably not even from this time zone".

"Which is odd, because…look at this!" the Doctor called, almost sounding excited as he moved over to where several crates had been placed just out of the ring of light. The lids had already been removed, revealing different pieces of equipment sitting in shredded paper to protect it, even one containing a NASA astronaut suit with the helmet sitting on top of the box.

"Ooh, interesting," the Time Lady said thoughtfully, moving close to peer into the crates herself as River joined them.

"It's Earth tech," River blinked, surprised as she checked the results off her scanner before looking down at the contents of the crates, "Contemporary".

" _Very_ contemporary," she nodded, feeling just a little confused as to why it would be in a warehouse like this one in the first place. She picked up a canister from one of the boxes, turning it over in her hands while the Doctor grabbed the spacesuit's helmet, "This is cutting edge for this era," she frowned.

"This is from the space program!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking at the helmet carefully, exchanging a look with the brunet. This was very interesting, but sadly, it didn't exactly answer their questions, only gave them more.

"Stolen?" River suggested.

"What, by aliens?" Amy looked at her incredulously.

"It would seem so," the Hatter muttered, still frowning deeply as she placed the canister back into the crate. It didn't make sense and it was only frustrating her even more.

"But why?" she questioned, shaking her head as the Doctor put the helmet on, the bronze coloured visor still down, hiding his face from view. The Hatter took one look at him and had to cover her mouth to stop the giggles from escaping, "I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon?" she frowned deeply.

"Maybe 'cos it's cooler!" the Doctor called, his voice muffled through the visor. He lifted it up, grinning broadly at them, looking like an excited child, "Look how cool this stuff is!"

" _Very_ cool," the Hatter laughed, high fiving with him.

Amy eyed them both with her eyebrows raised, "Cool aliens?"

The Time Lady turned to look at her, smiling widely, "Well, what else would you call us?" she asked, completely serious.

"Aliens".

"Oi!" the Doctor shouted at the same time that the Hatter exclaimed, "Hey!"

"Yellow shoes, Hatter," Amy gave the brunet a pointed look, still amazed that she actually thought that walking around with bright yellow shoes on looked _good_ , "That's all I'm saying".

"The cheek," the Hatter huffed, pretending to be annoyed as she looked away, the Doctor struggling to remove the helmet from off his head, "And not in a good way, either!" she glanced at the Doctor, shaking her head, moving to help pull the helmet off him.

"I, uh…" Rory called as he and Canton finally joined them, having lagged behind, "I think he's okay now," he pointed his torch back towards the other man's face, which looked calm and composed now as he was looking curiously at the examination table.

"Ah, back with us, Canton?" the Doctor smiled over to the man.

The Hatter stepped closer to the man, raising her eyebrows at him, "It can be a little overwhelming, I know," she said to Canton, flashing him her own reassuring smile, "But you'll get used to it".

Canton continued to eye the table, "I like your wheels," he remarked, gesturing his torch back over his shoulder.

The Doctor grinned, walking over to him, "That's my boy!" he cheered, clapping him on the shoulder, before walking passed him with the brunet, "So, come on, little girl. Let's find her".

The Time Lords began to make their way around the room, the Doctor flashing his sonic around at different pieces of junk as he passed by, while the Hatter paused, glancing back over her shoulder to see Amy approach River as she leaned over the table, scanning the wires hanging around it. She frowned slightly as she watched them seeming to have a serious discussion. Amy looked upset from what she could see of her face, appearing to be arguing with whatever River was telling her.

"What do you think they're talking about?" the Doctor asked, suddenly moving back to the Hatter's side, his voice low as he carefully eyed the two women across the room.

The Hatter didn't even jump, not at all surprised by his sudden appearance, "I don't know," she murmured back, frustrated, "But whatever it is, they both seem very serious, and that makes me nervous".

"Can't you…" he made a vague and rather unhelpful gesture towards his mouth, giving her a look as if she should know what he was trying to say when she simply looked confused, "Read their lips?" he clarified.

She blinked at him, glancing at him in surprise, "Read their lips? Don't you think that's a talent you would know about by now if I possessed it?"

He smiled softly at her, "You surprise me every day with something new I didn't know about you".

"Well, as romantic as that might be, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. I can't read lips".

He opened his mouth to respond, when River's voice sounded, "Doctor!" she called loudly, "Hatter! Look at this!"

They looked over to see that she had moved away from the table, seeming to be following something on the ground. The Hatter patted the Doctor's arm as he sighed before taking it, leading him over to where Amy and River were standing, lighting up a long cable that run from the table, across and down into a half covered manhole in the floor a short distance from the table. River knelt down beside the hole and shifted the cover aside, showing the darkened, narrow space within with a ladder leading down it, along with the cable.

"Oh, now we're getting somewhere," the Hatter commented, eyeing the hole with interest. It was small enough for someone to climb down or up it, so a child could have easily escaped via it, but she was also curious as to where the cable run to. A secondary power hub, perhaps? Or perhaps a secret control room for whoever had organised this entire thing? That also seemed likely, after all, baddies always seemed to like to have their secret little hideouts…or was that just in the movies? "I wonder what could be down there," she said thoughtfully, glancing at the Doctor, who nodded in agreement.

River held her scanner device over the hole, "There's a network of tunnels running under here," she informed them, checking the results.

"Life signs?" the Doctor asked warily as Rory and Canton joined them.

"No, nothing that's showing up".

"I've heard that before," the Time Lady muttered grimly, recalling the first time that they had met River. That had really turned out well, she still didn't like to go into the TARDIS library without the lights on completely. River began to lower herself into the hole, making the brunet sigh slightly, watching her, "Just be careful down there, River," she told her sternly, knowing how mothering she probably sounded.

"Careful?" River repeated, glancing back up to them with a grin and a spark in her eyes that was very similar to the same one the Hatter always got whenever she did something risky, "I tried that once. Ever so dull".

Despite herself, the Hatter couldn't help smiling slightly at that, not at all surprised that she and River seemed to be close in the future. She could certainly see quite a bit of herself in River in many ways, her cheekiness being a big part of it.

The Doctor sighed slightly, "Shout if you get in trouble," he ordered her lightly.

"Don't worry, I'm quite the screamer," she laughed, giving them a wink as she disappearing down the hole, "Now _there's_ a spoiler for you".

"So what's going on here?" Canton questioned, stepping up behind the Time Lords as River disappeared completely.

"Er…nothing!" the Doctor said a little too quickly, spinning around to face him, Rory, and Amy, suddenly embarrassed by what River had just said, "She's just a friend," he turned back around to face the Hatter, who had just straightened from kneeling beside the hole, raising her eyebrows at him, "Really, she's _just_ a friend," he insisted, almost frantically, his eyes wide, "That's all, nothing more…".

"Doctor," the Hatter cut across him, placing a hand on his cheek, quietening him instantly. She smiled at him, highly amused by the panic written across his face, "For a man who has been best friends with me since he was only twenty years old, I would have thought you would know what teasing looks like by now".

He blinked at her, relaxing slightly, "Teasing?" he repeated, "Are you sure?"

She laughed fondly, nodding, " _Very_ ," she assured him, "River is just like me, she loves to get a reaction out of you and see you get all flustered".

Rory cleared his throat, stepping closer to the Doctor, "I think he's talking about the possible alien incursion…" he whispered helpfully to him, glancing back to Canton, who was now eyeing the Doctor oddly.

The Doctor smiled embarrassedly, turning back to face Amy and Canton as Rory moved back, "Okay!" he said a little overly brightly, clapping Rory's shoulder and walking past him, lightly patting Canton's on his way past, too.

"Did I mention that he's really very clever?" the Hatter remarked to Canton, shaking her head in amusement, moving to follow the Doctor as they began to move around the space again, the Doctor flashing his sonic around.

Canton and Amy soon wondered across to look at a table that had been set up close to the examination table, covered with little glass jars, some empty while others had funny, clear liquid inside them. Canton picked up one of the jars, squinting at the small label stuck across the glass before shaking his head, sitting it back down on the table.

"So," he said, looking across the table to where Amy was doing the same thing, looking at medical equipment, shining her torch light over the table top. She looked up when he spoke, "I was in a bar having a drink. Tell me honestly…am I still there?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Amy smiled at him, shaking her head, "Afraid not".

Suddenly, River ran back up the ladder in the manhole, panting heavily, her eyes wide, when she came to a sudden stop, the fear that had been written across her face disappearing almost at once. They all turned to look at her, the Hatter frowning deeply as she took a step closer to her, sensing something very off. No one could go from being so panicked one second to calm the next, and it rang alarm bells at the back of her mind. Big, very loud, alarm bells.

"All clear!" River announced, her breathing steady again, "Just tunnels," she glanced back down the manhole she was still half standing in, "Nothing down there I can see. Er, give me five minutes, I want to take another look around".

The Doctor frowned over to her, turning around from where he, the Hatter, and Rory had been examining the examination table, "Stupidly dangerous!" he called to her, saying exactly what the brunet was thinking.

"Yep, I like it too!" she grinned, completely unconcerned. She moved to climb back down the ladder before pausing, glancing over to Amy, "Amy, look after them," and with that, she headed back down the ladder and out of sight once more.

The Hatter sighed heavily, moving back to the Doctor's side, "I really, really don't like this, sweetheart," she murmured to him, casting the manhole worried looks over her shoulder, "There's something strange going. One moment she looks frightened and the next…" she shook her head, shrugging, "She's acting completely fine and calm. At the very least, she shouldn't be down there alone".

He nodded in agreement, already knowing well enough that the Time Lady would be better at noticing the smaller emotional details then he probably would have, just as long as they weren't her own emotions. She did have a good point, though, "Rory," he looked over to the young man, "Would you mind going with her?"

Rory looked back to him, frowning, "Yeah, a bit".

"That wasn't really what I was suggesting, but I suppose it will do just as well," the Time Lady muttered, nudging the Doctor's side with a pointed look. She had been thinking that he go down with River, but she ought to have known that he would find an excuse to stay behind with her. She shook her head and gave Rory a small smile, "Please, Rory," she said to him, "We really would appreciate it".

He looked between them both as the Doctor clapped him encouragingly on the shoulder, and sighed heavily, resigned, "Hang on, River!" he called, his voice flat as he began to walk towards the manhole, "I'm coming too!"

The Hatter watched him go, not entirely comfortable with the idea of sending Rory off like that after River, but she could hardly go. The Doctor would lock her inside the TARDIS for even suggesting it and she supposed that if River couldn't handle whatever it was that they might come across down there with her blaster, even if she might not agree with her far more violent approach, then the Doctor was hardly going to be much better waving his sonic screwdriver around. She sighed, waiting until Rory's head had disappeared out of sight down the hole before continuing with her own search of the room, the Doctor having already moved on to look at something else.

Canton moved away from the jars to look at the examination table, picking up one of the wires, shining his torch over it as Amy joined him a moment later, "So, you were kicked out of the FBI because you had attitude problems?" she said to him, curious.

He looked back up to her, "No, I just wanted to get married," he told her, putting the wire down.

The Time Lady glanced back over to them, listening closely with interest. It was 1969, so she could imagine just why that might be an issue.

"Is that a crime?" Amy asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

He moved around the table and ducked down to look at her from beneath a clump of wires, "Yes," he replied simply. He didn't elaborate further as he held up a finger, pointing it over towards the Time Lords, "Doctor and Hatter who, exactly?"

She sighed slightly, glancing over to see the Doctor poking his head into a crate, while the Hatter was kneeling by a box, riffling through the contents, but she had the funniest feeling that they were both listening, "Ah, that's classified," she informed him.

"Classified by whom?"

"God knows".

"Do you work for them?"

"They're my friends, if friends are the right word…" she paused, somehow finding the word not entirely right to describe what they were to her. They were more like family, a bit like a strange, eccentric aunt and uncle that you just wanted to hang around because they were fun. She began to smile faintly, thinking about them, "I haven't seen them for a while," her smile faded, replaced with a frown, "I had something I wanted to tell them…but stuff always gets in the way".

"Stuff does that," Canton commented, picking up a piece of medical equipment.

"Help me!" the little girl's voice suddenly sounded from somewhere, her voice echoing from out of the dark, making them all look up to turn in the direction. Canton moved around Amy to stand in front of her, his eyes wide as he grabbed his gun, flicking the safety off, "Help! Help me!"

"That's here!" Canton shouted, and took off running in the direction of the voice. Amy began to follow, but she had hardly taken three steps before she gasped out in pain and hunched over, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"Amy!" the Hatter called worriedly, hurrying past Canton as he took off in the opposite direction, and over to the girl's side with the Doctor.

"Help me!" the girl cried out, "Please!"

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked her, very concerned as he eyed Amy's pained grimace, still clutching at her stomach.

She grabbed at both Time Lords, practically leaning on them for support as she urgently look between them, "I need to tell you something," she gasped out, looking close to tears, "It's important!" the Time Lords cast a quick look over their shoulder, needing to get the little girl, but Amy's grip on them tightened, drawing their attention back to her, "It's really, _really_ important!"

"Doctor!" Canton yelled back to them from in the distance, "Hatter! Quickly!"

The Doctor looked back to Amy, "What, _now_?" he exclaimed, unable to believe that she would pick a worse possible moment to decide to tell them something important. Even the Time Lady seemed to agree with him as he shook his head, grabbing Amy's hand, and began pulling her along after them as they ran after Canton, half supporting her between them as she continued to clutch her stomach.

They ran through the warehouse and found a doorway that had been half hidden by a large box, and hurried through it and down a dark, wet corridor. They paused at a corner, the Doctor pausing just at the edge of it and holding up his finger to his lips to the girls while he held his sonic screwdriver in the other hand. The Hatter gave him a nod, struggling to support Amy on her own without actually holding her up too much. She could already feel the strain it was causing to her back.

After a moment, he ran around the corner, his sonic at the ready, "Canton!" he called, catching sight of the man lying on his stomach, his eyes closed. He ran over to the man as the two women followed, the Time Lady rushing to kneel beside the man, "Canton, are you alright?" he asked, moving to kneel on the other side of him.

"Is he alright?" Amy questioned worriedly as she stood back, still holding a hand to her stomach, but she seemed slightly better than before.

The Hatter checked his pulse, sighing relief, "Yes, he is," she nodded, looking back up, "He's just unconscious".

The Doctor leaned closer to the back of Canton's head, "Got a proper whack," he remarked, noticing a rather painful looking lump at the back of his head.

"Doctor, Hatter, I need to tell you something," Amy tried again, growing urgent once more, "I have to tell you it _now_ ".

"I'm sorry, Amy, but this really isn't the best time," the Time Lady sighed, feeling a stab of guilt. She could tell that whatever it was, it was very serious to Amy to be so insisted upon telling them, but right now they already had so many things that they needed to focus on. The little girl, Canton…

"No, it's important. It has to be _now_ ".

"Help!" the little girl cried out, and they looked around, trying to work out exactly where her voice was coming from. It seemed closer to them now, but it was hard to tell with the echo, "Help me!" Amy knelt before them, catching both their attention, "Help me!"

"Doctor, Hatter…" she began, taking a deep breathe, "I'm pregnant".

The Doctor and the Hatter's eyes widened, staring at her, stunned. The Time Lady suspected the possibility, but to have it actually confirmed was something else, something she really hadn't put too much thought into what that might mean. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps sounded and they looked past Amy to see someone walk into the room in a spacesuit, the visor shielding the persons face. The Time Lords stood, the Doctor taking the Hatter's hand as they watched the spacesuit.

"That's it…" Amy breathed, still kneeling on the floor, but she was focused on the spacesuit, "The astronaut".

The astronaut began to raise its arm, almost as if it was pointing to them. The Time Lords watched on as the person lifted the visor to reveal a little girl, looking terrified within the suit. The Hatter gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.

"Help me!" the girl cried out.

"Get down!" Amy shouted.

They looked down to see Amy fumbling on the ground for Canton's gun, "What are you doing?" the Doctor demanded, his eyes widening as he saw what his companion was reaching for.

"Saving your lives!" she stood and spun, raising the gun at the suit, before realising that the little girl was trapped inside it.

"No!" the Time Lords yelled, horrified.

Amy screamed as the gun went off…

 _ **I apologise for the wait, I really needed to work on my Sherlock story and finish a big project for school that was a huge part of my grade, hence why I also didn't manage to get back to those of you who reviewed. Thank you, you seriously have no idea how much it means to me and also to all of those who have since favorited/alerted this story. I will very soon be going on a two week break from school, so hopefully I should get more time to get more chapters written up in advance.**_

 _ **Next chapter, why is the Hatter so eager to get the Doctor to shave? The Hatter's rambling returns, and three months is quite a long time. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest review:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **I hope this was soon enough. Thanks for the review :)**_


	3. Chapter 3 Day of the Moon, Part 1

_**Day of the Moon, Part 1**_

Amy was shocked, her hand still raised with the gun aimed at the spaceman…no, at the _little girl_ trapped within the suit, horrified by what she had just done. She felt numb and sick, as if the entire world had stopped moving in that one horrifying moment that she had pulled the trigger, hearing that near deafening bang echo around her, the sound of the Doctor and the Hatter shouting at her. She couldn't move, she didn't even think she was breathing as she stood there, staring transfixed at the helpless child she had just shot at. Oh God, what had she _done_?

"Amy!" the Hatter shouted, grabbing at Amy's arm, forcing her to drop the gun. It cluttered onto the concrete floor, snapping Amy back to reality. The Time Lady began tugging Amy away, still looking completely horrified, her eyes flickering frantically from Amy to the little girl, wanting to make sure she was okay. And she was, the shot had missed her, but only by inches and she was still moving slowly towards them.

The Doctor grabbed Canton, trying to pull the man up onto his feet as he started to stir, "Amy!" he called, looking back to the shocked women, "Amy!"

"I've got her!" the Time Lady assured him, looking sickly pale in the torch light and very shaken by what had just happened, but she pushed that all away and just focused on forcing Amy along.

They made it back out into another hallway and down a set of steps, finding themselves running back into the main warehouse, the sound of the spaceman's footsteps echoing behind them. They ran past Rory and River as they climbed up out of the manhole, shouting urgently at them to run, both looking very afraid. They ran back towards the TARDIS, when Canton stopped, managing to break free from the Doctor's hold as he clutched at his shoulder, very confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning at them, wondering why they were all shouting and running.

"Look behind you!" the Doctor told him, turning back around to face him, grabbing the Hatter's hand.

"There's nothing behind me!"

"Just _look_!" the Hatter insisted, her eyes wide, "Canton, look behind you!"

Slowly, Canton turned around as Amy screamed, finding a very tall alien walking towards him with long fingers and a mouthless face, almost like a melted candle…

…

Three months had passed since that day in the warehouse, and during those months the Doctor and the Hatter been held prisoner in Area 51 under close guard. They had both been forced into straightjackets, despite the Hatter's pregnancy, and chained to two chairs in the middle of a very large, clean warehouse-like space with armed guards positioned around the room. It hadn't been so bad, they had managed to pass the time talking about past adventures, ignored completely by everyone else in the room, but it was just a little annoying that they couldn't reach out and touch each other. Still, Canton had made sure that they were taken care of with plenty of food and water, the Hatter especially.

"That beard really is awful, sweetheart," the Hatter remarked, shaking her head as she eyed the beared that the Doctor had grown during their imprisonment. His hair had also grown quite a bit, but so had her own hair. It now reached the middle of her shoulder blades, rather than her shoulders, but that was nothing compared to how much her stomach had increased in only three months. She now looked five months pregnant by human standards, no way she could try hiding it now.

"You don't like it?" the Doctor said, amused, knowing perfectly well that she didn't. He remembered the time he didn't shave for three days and she refused to kiss him because his face was too prickly, she was probably dreaming about shaving it off herself by now.

"Beards remind me of the Master," she sighed, making a face, "And you know how I feel about him".

"I promise to get rid of it the first chance I get".

"You had better".

The door opened, making them look up to see Canton and another two men in suits stroll into the room, walking past the warnings signs about not approaching the prisoners. The guards around the room watched them go, saluting as they passed by them and neared the black platform that the Time Lords were being held on, a yellow painted circle around their chairs.

"All visitors to remain behind the yellow line," a voice announced over the loud speaker, "All visitors to remain behind the yellow line…"

"We found Amy Pond," Canton informed the Time Lords as they watched him calmly. He moved to stand just before the platform, carrying a cream coloured folder in his hands, "She had strange markings on her arm," he flipped the folder open and withdrew a photo, holding it up for them to see an image of Amy's arm lying on sandy ground where her body had obviously fallen, tally marks covering her skin. He lowered the photo, eyeing them closely, but they remained completely calm and composed, hardly blinking at all, "Do you know what they are?" he tossed the file with the photo on top of it over the yellow line, just at the Hatter's feet.

"Interesting," the Hatter said flatly, glancing down at the picture, swallowing as her mouth grew dry.

The Doctor looked back over to Canton, "Why don't you ask her?" he suggested.

Canton simply tilted his head slightly and smirked, watching as the grief for their fallen friend finally dawned on them, both growing very pale and quiet.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter watched as two scientists in white lab coats worked together, carefully placing thick, black bricks on top of rows to build a wall around the Time Lords. In the corner behind the Hatter, they had already finished part of the wall by the look of it.

"We found Doctor Song," Canton told them, standing opposite from where they were currently building with two other suited men standing on either side of him.

"These bricks," the Doctor muttered thoughtfully, ignoring Canton as he looked at the blocks closely, "What are they made of?" he wondered, glancing at the Time Lady.

The Hatter frowned slightly, eyeing the blocks curiously, running her mind through a list of different marital that they could be using, "River," she began absently, feeling a spark of concern, "Where is she?"

"She ran," Canton replied, unconcerned, "Off the fiftieth floor".

The Doctor exchanged a quick, pained look with the Time Lady before turning his attention back to the bricks, "I would say zero balanced dwarf star alloy," he determined, watching as one of the blokes was fitted into place and the cracks between the blocks flared bright white before fading, sealed together seamlessly.

"Indeed," the Hatter nodded, trying hard to ignore Canton, "Excellent choice if you're building a prison. It's the thickest material in the Universe," she looked back to the Doctor, " _Nothing_ can get through that".

"You're building us the perfect prison," he realised, and looked back over to Canton, his tone growing darker, "And it _still_ won't be enough".

….

It took less than two days for the scientist to finish building their prison cell completely around them, leaving them sitting inside a darked room with bright lights running around the bottom of the cell. Canton walked into the cell, follow by two soldiers in a green uniform, dragging two black body bags behind them into the cell through the doorway of missing blocks, placing the bags either side of the Time Lords, one on the Doctor's right side and the other bag on the Hatter's left. The Hatter swallowed as she watched, wincing slightly as the soldiers dropped the bag on the ground beside her a little too hard for her taste.

"Is there a reason you're doing this?" the Doctor questioned, glaring up at Canton, who was standing back by the doorway, seeming to be enjoying himself.

"I want you to know where you stand," Canton replied.

"Well, technically we're not standing," the Hatter remarked dryly, shooting him a quick look.

"In a cell," the Doctor sighed, but he couldn't help giving the brunet a small smile.

"In the _perfect_ cell," Canton corrected, watching as the soldier's finished placing the bags on the ground and walked out the door, "Nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave…" he turned and put his five fingers on his right hand on the wall, into a set of five rings cut out of the brick, making a square light up around the holes. The door began to slide across the opening and shut, sealing completely closed into the surface of the wall, seamless. He turned back around to face them, "Not the tiniest particle of anything," he continued, "In here, you are literally cut off from the rest of the Universe," he paused, glancing over to the door as the last crack sealed, before glancing back over to the Time Lords, "So I guess they can't hear us, right?"

"Excellent job, Canton," the Hatter grinned at him, her eyes drifting quickly back over to the now completely smooth surface of wall where the door was hidden now, "Are you sure that door's really sealed?"

"You bet," he nodded.

The Doctor immediately stood and began to shake off his chains and straightjacket, the Time Lady doing the same beside him with a bit more care and difficulty, finding it almost impossible to get the jacket off with her baby bump. The moment the Doctor was free, he was at the Hatter's side, helping her to pull the jacket off and wrapping his arms around her the second she was free of her own restraints, hugging her tightly to him, overjoyed to simply be able to touch each other again in over three months. Amy and Rory sat up in their body bags with gasps, struggling to try and get the bags undone from the inside.

The Time Lords regretfully separated and moved to help them, the Hatter moving to Rory and unzipping his bag as he sucked in relieved lungful's of air. The Hatter smiled as she lightly placed a kiss to the top of his head, while the Doctor helped Amy.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Finally," Amy breathed, panting slightly as she pushed the bag off her shoulders.

"These things could really do with air holes!" Rory complained loudly, making the Hatter laugh, ruffling his hair affectionately as she stood a little wobbly after having being forced to sit for so long.

"Never had a complaint before," Canton commented, shrugging.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together, a grin spreading across his face, "Now, first things first…" he turned to the Hatter and kissed her, slow and tenderly. Three months really was too long to not have any physical contact.

Amy tried very hard not to look at them, feeling as if she was intruding on a private moment between the two as she turned away to face Canton, pulling her legs out of the bag and standing, "Isn't it going to look odd that you're staying in here with us?" she asked him, clearing her throat slightly awkwardly.

"Odd, but not alarming," Canton shook his head, avoiding looking at the Time Lords, too, "They know there's no way out of this place".

The Hatter finally pulled back from the Doctor, her cheeks bright red and her lips looking slightly swollen, "Nice to see you, too, sweetheart," she grinned at him.

He returned the smile, "Sorry about the beard, dear".

"Just this once, I'm willing to make an exception," she said, winking playfully as she patted his cheek, "However, that doesn't mean you get to keep it. I like my doctor's to be clean shaven," she finished teasingly.

He laughed, bending slightly to place a quick kiss to her stomach, making her smile grow softer as he straightened once more. She was quite glad she had decide to start wearing maternity versions of her normal clothing before they ended up in prison, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to wear her old skirt or even her old top at this stage anymore now that she was eight months pregnant.

The Doctor cleared his throat and turned back around, stretching his arms out as he looked over to Canton, "That's exactly right," he said, referring to his previous remark, moving towards the corner of the cell as he grabbed his blue bracers, pulling them back from his chest, "Whatever they might think we're doing in here, they know we're not going anywhere…" he released his bracers with a snap and fell sideways, coming to a stop leaning against the TARDIS hidden in the corner as a flash of blue moved around the edges of the time machine. He looked back to them, grinning broadly as the Time Lady moved to his side, just as he snapped his fingers and the doors swung open, "Shall we?"

Amy grinned at them and followed Rory in through the TARDIS doors, the Time Lady hurrying behind them and up to the controls.

"What about Doctor Song?" Canton asked, looking back to the Doctor as he moved into the time machine, "She dove off a _rooftop_!"

"Don't worry," the Doctor shook his head, shutting the doors behind him, "She does that".

The Hatter moved around the controls, smiling widely, delighted to be back in the TARDIS again after so long. She could practically feel the TARDIS humming with happiness, too, "Amy, Rory," she looked over to the couple, "Would you two be a couple of dears and open all the doors to the swimming pool for me?" she paused in consideration, "Oh, and layout some clothes and a towel for her, too".

Amy and Rory dashed off out of the room to do as she instructed, while the Doctor quickly joined the Time Lady at the controls, pulling a lever and setting them off. Canton stood back, grabbing a hold if a railing behind him as he watched them pilot the time machine, working perfectly in synch with each other. A moment passed as they paused in their work and a loud splash sounded from somewhere in the distance, down the many hallways, signalling River's arrival.

The Doctor took a moment to retrieve his blazer from where he had left it hanging over a railing, happily slipping it back on, while the Hatter grabbed her own jacket. She sighed slightly as she very quickly realised that she was no longer going to be able to do the front zipper up over her stomach, but she very rarely did that, anyway, so she supposed it wasn't much of an issue.

"So!" the Doctor began, moving back to the controls, and pulling another lever as he passed it. Rory and Amy returned to the console room, "We know they're everywhere. Not just a landing party, an _occupying force_ ".

"And it would seem that they've been here for quite some time," the Hatter added, casting River a quick smile as she noticed the still rather damp looking women walking up the steps towards them, drying her wet hair with a towel and now wearing a greenish-grey, sleeveless dress with boots. She moved around to the typewriter, typing something into the controls, a small frown crossing her face as she continued, "Which only makes it more frustrating, because no one seems to be able to _actually_ remember them…" she sighed, not liking that at all.

"So what are they up to?" Canton asked, frowning.

"No idea," the Doctor shook his head, already prepared for the question, "But the good news is…" he grabbed a lever and pulled it, making the time machine jolt as they came to a stop. He stumbled back slightly, looking back to them with a glimmer in his eyes, "We've got a secret weapon!"

He grabbed the Hatter's hand and they ran around the console, heading down the stairs and over to the doors, the others hurrying along after them. They threw the doors open and stepped out into an open field of wetland, but what caught their attention was a huge rocket in the distance, ready to be launched with several other buildings scattering around it. NASA's Space Station.

"Apollo Eleven's your secret weapon?" River remarked, giving the Doctor and Hatter an incredulous look.

"Oh, don't be silly," the Hatter said with a light, scolding tone of voice. She shook her head at River, "Of course it's not Apollo Eleven".

"It's Neil Armstrong's foot," the Doctor grinned broadly.

The brunet paused, glancing at him, "Okay…I think I can kind of see why that would sound a bit silly," she had to admit. It really didn't sound that way in her head, but then again, she had always had a rather different way of looking at things.

"Right, then," he continued to grin, clapping his hands together, spinning around to face them. The humans were still giving them rather strange and confused looks, not understanding what they could possibly be planning to do with Neil Armstrong's foot, "I've got a promise to keep," he reached up to touch his beard.

"Yes," the Time Lady nodded at her once, almost pushing him towards the TARDIS in her eagerness for him to shave the damn thing off already. She didn't so much mind the rest of his hair being longer, but that beard simply had to go, and quickly, "Please, get rid of it, sweetheart".

He could only laugh, holding up his hands in surrender as he headed back inside the TARDIS, half tempted to purposely drag his feet and make her drag him to the bathroom herself.

"You really hate facial hair, don't you?" Amy commented, looking as if she was trying hard not to laugh as the Doctor disappeared inside the time machine.

The Hatter shivered, making a face, "You would to if you ever meet the Master in the old days," she muttered, shaking her head, "What went through that man's head to think that he actually looked good, I have no idea".

….

"Ow!" Canton suddenly cried, making everyone look over to him, startled.

"Ha!" the Doctor smiled, amused by the grimace the man gave him as he injected something into his hand with a small medical gun device.

The Doctor was now clean shaven again and had gotten the Hatter's help to trim his hair back to its normal length, while the Time Lady had decided to keep her hair a bit longer. She had actually grown to like it a bit longer, but she wouldn't be surprised if she grew bored of the length and cut it back to her shoulders within a few weeks. Having long hair was just a pain, she still didn't know how her First and Forth regenerations could stand having hair that went to the middle of their backs. No, shoulder length was more practical and it was one of the reasons why she cut it all off during the Time War. A Bob haircut just needed to be brushed, fiddling with pins and other hair accessories was a waste of time.

"So!" he continued brightly, spinning away from Canton as the man stared down at his open palm, confused, "Three months, what have we found out?" he looked around to the others.

"Well, they are _everywhere_ ," Rory remarked, holding out his arms as he stood back from the controls, "Every state in America…" the Doctor grabbed his hand and injected something into his open palm, too, "Ahh!" he gasped painfully, flitching back from him.

The Hatter smiled at him and pushed off from where she was leaning against the controls, moving to pat his arm sympathetically, "But it's not just America, as far as we can tell," she said, shaking her head, "It seems to be all over the planet".

"There's a greater concentration here, though," River pointed out, looking up at the monitor at what very limited information they had managed to gather together, which really wasn't much at all.

The Doctor moved around the console to Amy, injecting the gun into her open palm, "Ow!" Amy exclaimed, giving him a dark glare as she pulled her hand closer to her chest.

He lowered the gun, his face softening with concern as he eyed her carefully, "Are you okay?" he asked her softly, recalling her little announcement back in the warehouse. Surly she would have started to show by now?

She meet his eyes and nodded, "All better".

"Better?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows just slightly.

"Turns out I was wrong," she told him quietly, lowering her voice to just above a whisper as she noticed Rory making his way over to them, "I'm not pregnant".

Rory reached them, looking curiously at Amy, "What's up?" he questioned, his eyes flickering almost suspiciously over to the Doctor, trying to work out what they seemed to be talking about so quietly between themselves.

"Nothing," Amy said a little too quickly, turning to him, trying to laugh it off, "Really, nothing, seriously…"

The Doctor sighed slightly and turned away, moving back to the Hatter's side, wrapping his arm around her waist. They exchanged a look, the Time Lady having heard every word that Amy had said.

"So you've seen them, but you don't _remember_ them?" Canton frowned, looking over to River, trying hard to follow along with everything.

" _You've_ seen them, too," River glanced over to him from the monitor, "That night at the warehouse, remember?" his frown deepened as he listened, "While you were pretending to hunt us down, we saw _hundreds_ of those things," she shook her head, frustrated, "We _still_ don't know what they look like".

"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away," Rory commented, trying to help explain it all to Canton, who turned to focus on him, "The exact second you're not looking at them, you can't remember _anything_ ".

"Sometimes you feel a bit sick, though," Amy added, shaking her head, "But not always".

"So that's why you marked your skin," Canton realised, nodding slowly in understanding.

She sighed slightly, shrugging, "Only way we'd know if we'd had an encounter".

"How long have they been here?"

"That's what we'd spent the last three months trying to find out".

"Not _easy_ , if you can't remember anything you discover," Rory grumbled slightly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Canton looked slightly startled, "How long do you think?" he asked, frowning deeply.

"As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye," the Doctor began, walking towards him, very serious, "Or creaking in your house, or breathing under your bed, or voices through a wall," he moved very close to Canton, before turning back around, looking around at the humans, while the Hatter smiled faintly. She did so love to hear him make his speeches, she supposed that was the Time Lady side of her. Time Lords did so love to make their big speeches every chance they got, though, not nearly as impressive or interesting as the Doctor's speeches, "They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head," he continued firmly, "We are not fighting an _alien invasion_ , we're leading a _revolution_. And today, the battle begins".

"How?"

"Like this…" he had, while they had all been too busy listening, managed to step behind River. He spun around and injected the medical gun into her hand.

"Ahh!" River yelped, startled and pained as she started shaking her hand, trying to get rid of the unpleasant feeling.

The Doctor and the Hatter burst out laughing, the Time Lady moving to apologetically pat River's shoulder as she stepped closer to the Doctor's side, "Sorry, River, but it's necessary," she smiled at her, earning a mock glare from her in return, "It's called a nano recorder," she informed them all as the Doctor held up a small red capsule for them all to see. She sighed slightly, holding out her open palm to him, trying to prepare herself.

He gently took her offered hand, placing a soft kiss to her open palm, "Sorry about this, dear…" he murmured, really not wanting to cause her pain, but they had little choice. She gave him a small smile and closed her eyes as he pressed the tip of the gun onto her palm and fired it as quickly as he could, making her wince painfully and her eyes snap open, but otherwise her expression remained the same.

"That wasn't nearly as bad as I expected," she commented lightly, looking down at her palm where an inch long, red line was now in the middle of her hand.

"Good," he smiled at her, and kissed the mark very lightly. He didn't let go of her hand as he cleared his throat, turning back to the others, "It fuses with the cartilage in your hand," he said, handing her the gun, grimacing painfully as she injected his hand, too.

She gave him a small smile, reaching up to pat his cheek fondly, "What's the point of being married if you can't inject each other with a nano recorder once and a while?" she shrugged, before pausing as everyone looked at her strangely, "And that really didn't come out how I thought it would in my head".

"Anyway," the Doctor said loudly after an awkward moment, shaking his head. Sometimes, she really could be as bad as him with speaking without thinking it through first, "And it tunes itself directly to the speech centres in your brain," he explained to the room, "It'll pick up your voice, no matter what".

"It forms a telepathic connect between you and the device within your hand," the Hatter added, holding her open palm up too, nodding to where her own device was beneath her skin, "If and when you come across one of the creatures you simply activate it…"

The Doctor held up his open palm and pressed his middle finger down onto the middle of his hand, making a red light glow where the recorder was, "And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing," he cut in, and tapped the same spot again with his other hand, making the recording of his voice repeat back, "'And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing…'" he dropped his hand as the recording finished, "Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it happened".

"That little red light will flash whenever you have left yourselves a message," the Time Lady nodded, fixing each human with a stern look, "So you must continually check your hand to make sure, because if you do end up encountering these creatures, that's the first place you will know about it. It's very important that you just keep _checking_ , okay?"

"Why didn't you tell me about this before we started?" Canton asked, looking between the Time Lords.

"We did," the Doctor told him as the Hatter moved over to the controls, typing something into them, "But even information about these creatures erases itself over time," the Time Lady paused and look back over to him, giving him a nod as she pressed one final button. He turned back to Canton, "We couldn't refresh it because we couldn't talk to you," his eyes came to rest on something behind Canton.

Canton turned slightly to follow his gaze and turned back to face the Doctor, reaching forward to adjust his bowtie…pausing when he noticed everyone staring at him, Amy, Rory, and River gathered together behind the Time Lords, "What?" he frowned at them, "What are you staring at?"

"Look at your hand," River instructed him, her voice low and firm.

He looked down at his open palm, only to find a red light blinking back at him, "Why's it doing that?" he questioned, growing slightly alarmed.

"Remember what we said?" the Hatter said calmly, "What did we say the red light meant if you see it flashing?"

"I haven't…"

"Play it," the Doctor ordered him softly.

Canton slowly looked back down to the blinking lightly and pressed the middle of his palm, "'My God, how did it get here?'" his recorded voice exclaimed, sounding frightened.

"'It's alright, Canton,'" the Hatter's voice came over the recoding, sounding soothing, "'Just keep looking at it. Don't take your eyes off the creature'".

"'And when I say, turn back,'" the Doctor's voice came over, "'And when you do, straighten my bowtie'".

Canton began to turn around again as the recoding continued, "'What? What are you staring at?'"

"'Look at your hand,'" River's voice came over as the recoding ended.

His eyes widened as standing across the room, by the doors, was a very tall creature in a black suit and tie with long fingers and a face that almost looked like a melted candle with deep set eyes, and missing a mouth or a defined nose.

"It's a hologram," the Hatter informed them, keeping her eyes fixed on the 3-D image of the creature, "We extrapolated it from a picture taken on Amy's phone".

"Take a good, long look," the Doctor told them, maintaining eye contact with the image as he stepped back, and hit a button on the controls. The hologram faded, leaving them all blinking in confusion and shaking their heads, the Hatter taking a moment to close her eyes tightly as a wave of nausea washed over her. He turned back to looking around at them, "You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting," he clicked his fingers at them, "Describe it to me," he turned to Canton, clicking his fingers again.

Canton blinked, "I can't," he shook his head, looking very startled.

"No," he agreed, glancing back to the others, who shook their heads, "Neither can I".

"Same," the Hatter sighed heavily, grateful that the sickly feeling had finally passed, "Which is equally annoying and fascinating".

The Doctor smiled at her, quickly kissing her cheek, amused at just how frustrated he knew she would be finding the entire situation, possibly even more so then him. He glanced back to Canton, "You straightened my bowtie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature," he explained to him as he and the Hatter moved around the console to the monitor.

Amy hurried around to join them with Rory at her side, "So they could do that to people," she realised, frowning, "You could be doing stuff and not really know why you're doing it".

"Like posthypnotic suggestion," Rory remarked, nodding.

"Ruling the world with posthypnotic suggestion…" she said quietly, her eyes widening at the thought.

"It's not as mad as it might sound," the Hatter said thoughtfully, looking across to her, "It's actually rather clever…" she paused, a frown crossing her face, "Though, I completely disagree against anything that takes away a person's free will".

The Doctor finished typing something into the controls, "Now, then," he began, straightening, "A little girl in a space suit," he pointed across to Amy and Rory, "They got the suit from NASA, but where did they get the little girl?"

"Yes, that is very curious," the Time Lady nodded, not liking the idea at all that these creatures had a little girl completely at their disposal. It made her very, very nervous.

"It could be anywhere," Canton shook his head.

"True," the brunet inclined her head in his direction, exchanging a look with the Doctor beside her, "But if I was them, then I would prefer to stay close to that warehouse…"

"Because why bother doing anything else?" the Doctor cut in, shrugging as he stepped aside, letting the Hatter room to type at the typewriter, "And they'd take her from somewhere that would cause the least amount of attention," he continued, watching as she brought up a green map on the monitor with three, blinking red dots on it, zooming in on one of them, "But you'll have to find her. We're off to NASA," he gestured to himself and the Time Lady.

"Find her?" Canton frowned at them, "Where do we look?"

The Hatter sighed heavily, looking sadly at the blinking red dot on the screen before. She had seen far too many orphaned children during the Time War and with her own child on the way, the idea of any child growing up without a parent or someone to love them, broke her hearts, "Why, children's homes, of course," she told them softly.

….

The Doctor was lying on his back, fiddling with wires and brightly coloured cables in the mess of machinery above his head, while the Hatter sat on the edge of the doorway of the modular sitting on top of Apollo Eleven, watching him work with a wary expression. She had tried to help, but she had soon discovered that her enlarged stomach was simply too much of a hindrance to climb into the tight space, and she had been a little afraid that if she tried to lie down beneath the controls, she might never be able to get back up again, even with the Doctor's assistance. She dreaded to imagine how she was going to be once she reached the final stages.

She craned her neck slightly, trying to see just what he was toying with now. It made her nervous not being able to see just what he was doing, after all, the human race actually managing to _reach_ the moon was a huge historical event and the last thing they needed was for the Doctor to end up blowing something up or to end up accidently programming the rocket to go flying off to Mars. That really wouldn't be a good thing, but she could just imagine him doing it. That, and she had to admit that she was a bit of a control freak when it came to this sort of thing, she didn't like sitting back and letting the Doctor have all the fun.

"Okay, I think we're ready, dear!" the Doctor called, holding out his hand towards her.

"You think?" she raised her eyebrows, not moving to pass him the small device that she had built.

"Well…I'm pretty sure…." he said, sounding slightly unsure for a moment before his voice grew more confidant, "I know what I'm doing!"

"Well, I should hope so, but with you I never can be quite sure," she replied, a hint of teasing entering her tone. She shook her head, amused as she picked up the device from her lap and passed it to him, his hand disappearing into the mess of wires with the device, "Just try not to blow anything up," she said playfully, "This isn't the TARDIS".

"I know how to do engineering stuff!" he huffed, mock offended as he set to work connecting the device inside the wires.

She laughed, "Talking to a professional engineer, sweetheart," she reminded him.

"You used to wear pyjamas in your workshop".

" _Okay_ , so maybe less of the professional and more of the engineer".

The Doctor laughed and shook his head, quickly finishing wiring the device in, smiling slightly as the green light on top of the device immediately lit up, signalling that it was working, not that he had ever doubted that the Hatter couldn't build a device in under five minutes like this one that would work perfectly, "And we've got a green light!" he cheered.

The Hatter smiled broadly, leaning forward…well, as much as she could to pat his knee, "Well done, sweetheart," she said happily, just as something beeped in her jacket pocket. She quickly reached inside her pocket and pulled out a small communicator device, a copy of the ones she had given to the others while they were off on their other tasks. She quickly checked the small screen before raising it to her ear, "Hello, Amy," she greeted as the Doctor continued to fiddle with the wires.

"I think we're found the place she was taken from," Amy said over the link.

She frowned slightly and lowered the device, "She says that she think's they've found the place the little girl was taken from," she told the Doctor hurriedly.

"How does she know?" the Doctor's voice came, sounding slightly muffled, as if he had something in his mouth as he worked.

She lifted the device back to her ear, "What makes you say that?" she asked Amy.

"Because those things have been here," Amy replied, "But the whole place is deserted. There's just one guy here and I think he's lost it".

"Ah, yes," the Hatter nodded, sighing sadly, "That does tend to happen if a person has their memories wiped to many times. It eventually fries the brain," she frowned at the thought. The man must have been exposed quite a bit and on a very frequent bases for it to have grown noticeable, though, "Keep to the plan and find out as much as you possibly can, but don't stay for much longer," she said firmly, looking over to see the Doctor slotting the last piece of their device into place, or at least from what she could make out from where she was sitting.

"Where are you two?"

"We're…" she began to answer, only to trail off, her eyes widening slightly, "Actually, let me get back to you. Doctor!" she called quickly as she ended the call and dropped the device into her lap, hitting his shoe sticking out from beneath the wires, "We're got company!"

The Doctor slammed the panel shut above him at once and sat up straight, looking through the doorway to see the Hatter half turned from where she was sitting on the edge of the doorframe, looking outside, smiling brightly at two technicians staring at them in shock, "Don't worry," he said cheerfully to the two men, "I've put everything back the way I found it…" the Hatter cleared her throat pointedly and he paused, glancing down to a piece of wire dangling in his hand, "Except this," he held it up, looking back to the men, "There's always a bit left over, isn't there?"

The Hatter struggled not to burst out laughing as the two technicians slowly looked at each other. She really should have known this would end up happening.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter had been forcefully escorted from the top of Apollo Eleven, handcuffed, and lead into a lecture hall in the middle of the base where they were forced to take a seat in two chairs at the front of the room with raised benches around the back of the room, looking down to where they were sitting before a long bench that was covered in papers, globes, even a model of a space shuttle, while behind that, on the wall, was a huge green chalkboard with scientific equations scribbled all across it and plans for different modal pieces.

The Hatter tried hard to shift into a more comfortable position, the metal of her handcuffs digging into her wrists as she did so, her lower back twinging sharply as she struggled to hold back a wince. Behind her, stood a solider, while another two men, both wearing white shirts and ties, where facing them with stern and questioning expressions.

"Now, one more time, sir, ma'am," one of the men, who was sitting down and looking at them through his glasses, sighed, "How the hell did you get into the command module?"

"Oh, that was child's play," the Hatter shook her head dismissively, flashing them a small smile, "You really should work on that, by the way. Anyone with immoral purposes could just walk in…" she paused, considering what she had just said, going on hurriedly, "But we are here under _completely_ moral purposes, we don't just do this for fun…well, okay, maybe a little bit…"

"Ah, dear?" the Doctor cleared his throat, trying hard not to laugh, glancing at her as the two men stared at her.

She blushed faintly, "Yes, right," she nodded, "Rambling, terrible habit".

"You expect us to believe that you broke through all our top secret security codes and overrides?" the seated man raised his eyebrows incredulously at the Time Lady.

The brunet looked back to him, smirking slightly at him, raising an eyebrow at him, "Scary, huh?"

The man sighed again, looking as if he was on the verge of getting a headache, "Just tell us the truth," he tried again.

"We've _told_ you," the Doctor rolled his eyes, growing annoyed that they just weren't _listening_ , "We're on a top secret mission for the President," he tried biting through the chain of his cuffs as the Hatter shook her head at him.

The seated man looked rather amused, "Well, maybe if you just get President Nixon to assure us of that, sir, that would be swell".

The Hatter continued to smile at the man as the Doctor released the chain, "I'm sure he will happily do that," she said pleasantly, "We're sent him a message, so I expect that he will be arriving at any moment now".

The two men laughed, the seated man mouthed 'oh,' mockingly, just as the door on the other side of the room opened. River and Rory stood back on either side of the door, holding it open as Nixon walked into the room with the TARDIS visible behind them. The Hatter struggled to hold back a laugh as she noticed River wearing a blue, 1960's style dress suit with her hair tied up, while Rory was wearing a suit himself with glasses and his hair slicked back, looking rather awkward as they moved further into the room.

"Hello!" Nixon greeted as both men stood, quickly spinning around to face him with stunned expressions. The Doctor smiled broadly and waved cheerfully as the Hatter lifted her cuffed hands to tap the brim of her hat, "I believe it's Mr Gardner, is that correct?" Nixon asked as he reached out to shake the glasses wearing man's hand, "Head of security?"

"Er, yes, sir," Gardner nodded quickly, still looking quite shocked as he shook hands with the President, "Yes, Mister President," he let go of his hand, standing a bit straighter.

"Mr Grant, is it?" Nixon turned to the second man, offering his hand to shake again.

Grant shook his hand, "Yes, Mister President!" he exclaimed, smiling.

Nixon looked between both men with a proud look, "The hopes and dreams of millions of Americans stand here today at Cape Kennedy," he said to them, "And you're the men who guard those dreams," he smiled at them, "On behalf of the American people, I thank you".

Gardner broke into a very proud smile, "You're welcome, Mister President".

"I understand you have a baby on the way, Mr Grant," he turned to the second man again.

"Yes, Mister President," Grant nodded, sounding surprised that Nixon would even know that about him.

"What are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?"

The Hatter smiled faintly, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor. Traditionally, on Gallifrey most families choose to find out the gender of their expected child well in advance, usually at the very first chance that they possibly could so that they could organise arranged marriages even before the child had been born, just as the Hatter's parents had done with her. It was usually something that the older and higher regarded families would do so that they could insure that they got the best possible political alliance that they could get through marriages. But with their own child, they still hadn't quite decided whether they wanted to know. There was a funny excitement trying to guess what they were having with the Doctor being completely convinced that they were having a girl, while the Hatter was still undecided, trying to stay more neutral on the subject. She would just be happy to have a healthy child at the end of it, gender really didn't matter to her in the slightest bit.

"Just as healthy American, sir," Grant replied as Rory spotted the small model of a rocket module sitting on the bench, bending down slightly to take a closer look at it.

Nixon laughed, stepping closer to the man, "A healthy American will do just nicely," he lightly punched his shoulder with each word, before stepping back, growing slightly more serious, "Now, fellows, listen. This man and women, here…" he gestured over to the Time Lords, "Code names the Doctor and the Hatter…" both men turned and looked back to them as they both grinned, waving cheerfully to them, the Hatter winking, "…is doing some work for me personally," he continued, giving the two men a smile as they turned back to him, "Could you…cut them a little slack?"

"Um, Mister President," Gardner began, hesitantly, "They did break in to Apollo Eleven".

Nixon frowned slightly in surprise, certainly not having expected that as he glanced over to the Time Lords, the Hatter coughing sheepishly as the Doctor mouthed, 'sorry'.

"Well," Nixon tried to laugh it off, looking back to the men, thinking quickly, "I'm, uh, I'm sure they had a very good reason for that…" River and Rory exchanged a small, amused look behind his back as he went on hastily, "But I need you to release them now so they can get on with some very important work for the American people. Could you do that for me?"

"Well…" Grant started to say, quite reluctant to just let them get away, even for the President.

"Son," he looked at them very seriously, "I _am_ your Commander and Chief".

"Uh, then I guess that would be fine, Mister President," Gardner interrupted quickly, nodding.

"Glad to hear it".

Gardner looked back to the soldier still keeping the Time Lords under guard and motioned to him to release the pair, which he immediately did, unlocking the handcuffs. The Doctor stood and rolled his wrists before moving to help the Hatter stand, giving her a quick, concerned look as he noticed the faint grimace that cross her face as she climbed onto her feet.

"I'm fine," she assured him softly, giving him a comforting smile, "Just a bit of back pain, it's to be expected".

"Are you sure?" he asked, still eyeing her carefully, not letting go of her hands.

"Completely".

Reluctantly, he nodded, knowing that pushing any further on the subject would only earn him a whack or an annoyed look from her as he spun back around to face Gardner and Grant, still keeping his left hand in hers, "Thank you!" he said brightly to the men, shaking Grant's hand before he had time to blink, "Bye-bye," he moved on to shake Gardner's hand next. He turned to Nixon, snapping his fingers and pointing at him.

"Yes, lovely to meet you," the Hatter flashed the two men a cheerful smile, "Shame about the handcuffs".

And with that, she and the Doctor turned, hand in hand, and strolled off across the room towards the open doorway where the TARDIS was waiting for them.

"Carry on, gentlemen," Nixon told Gardner and Grant with a smile, turning and following after the Time Lords with River walking behind him.

Rory was still looking at the model as he picked up a piece attached to the top of the module that looked like a satellite dish, only to end up accidently snapping it off. He glanced quickly over to the men, his eyes widening in alarm as he quickly tried to stick it back into place, but it wouldn't stick. After a few tries he gave up and hastily dropped the piece on the table, before turning to face the men as they stared at him, clearing his throat loudly, "America salutes you," he told them, saluting them and turning back to hurry after the others as they disappeared inside the TARDIS, shutting the doors of the room behind him.

…

The Time Lords took Nixon back to the White House, Nixon settling into his chair behind his desk while the Doctor and the Hatter stood before him with the TARDIS parked behind them on the rug once more, "From this point forward," the Hatter said firmly to the man, leaning over the desk slightly to meet the man's eyes, " _Everything_ that happens inside this office must be recorded, that way we can insure that you haven't been influenced by these creatures".

She straightened and turned to walk over to the TARDIS with the Doctor at her side, when Nixon quickly stood, "Doctor, Hatter," he called, frowning at them, making them stop and turn back to look at him, "You have to give me more than this," he insisted sternly, "What were you doing to Apollo Eleven?"

"A thing," the Doctor said vaguely, "A clever thing. Now, no more questions," he meet his eyes, very serious, "You have to trust us and nobody else".

Suddenly, the TARDIS door opened and River leaned out with one of the communicator devices in her hand, the screen glowing, "Hatter!" she called urgently, "Doctor! It's Canton!" the Time Lords turned and hurried back across to the time machine, "Quick, he needs us!"

….

The Doctor, the Hatter, River, and Rory ran up a set of old, wooden stairs of one of the children's homes that they had sent Amy and Canton to investigate. The entire building looking as if it should be condemned with old paint flaking off the wall, while some walls even had messages painted across it shouting at people to get out. Lightening was flashing outside and the place smelt terribly of dust and mould that tickled the Hatter's nose irritatingly as they ran up the creaking steps that she was slightly concerned might give way at any sudden movement, but luckily they held as they continued up to the top of the old building.

"Amy!" Canton was shouting, sounding as if he was hitting against a heavy door, "Amy, can you hear me?" he said loudly, "Amy, I'm going to try to blow the lock. I need you to stand back!"

They finally reached the attic floor of the building and ran into an even more dimly lit, narrow, slopping ceiled hallway with several doors coming off it, just in time to see Canton with his gun out and aimed at the lock of a large, heavy metal door that was completely different from the rest of the plain white, wooden doors of the rest of the hallway. It almost looked like it should belong to a prison cell.

"Okay, gun down!" the Doctor ordered him quickly, running around the man and closer to the door, "I've got it!" he pulled out his sonic and began flashing it at the lock.

"Amy!" Rory called almost frantically, moving closer to the door, desperately wanting to get to his wife as the Hatter put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him, but it was little use, "We're here!" he told her, "Are you okay?"

"I can't see!" Amy cried through the door.

"It's okay, Amy!" the Hatter tried to assure her, very concerned, "We'll be with you in a tick!"

The Doctor finally managed to unlock the door and pushed it open, dashing into the room with Rory and the Hatter right on his heels, followed by River and Canton. The room looked like it had belonged to a little girl with a small bed pushed against one side of the room, a painting of a ballerina on the wall, and dolls scattered around. There was even a chest of drawers on the opposite side of the room from the bed that was covered in picture frames with black and whites photos in them, all of which featuring a young girl around the age of six or seven, some seeming to have been taken from when she was even younger. Not one appeared to contain a single image of anyone else, just the girl, from what the Time Lady could see.

"Where is she?" Rory asked worriedly, looking around at the empty room for any sign of Amy, still hearing the faint sound of sobbing coming from somewhere within the room, but it was as if Amy was invisible.

A fallen spacesuit was lying in the middle of the floor, and the Time Lords quickly moved over to it, the Doctor running his sonic over it as River knelt beside it and lifted the visor, "It's empty," she announced, shining her torch into the helmet.

"It's so dark," Amy's voice came again, sounding very tearful, "So dark…"

The Hatter swallowed thickly as she followed the sound of Amy's voice, looking down to see a small, blinking red light of a nano recorder on the rug in the middle of the room, "Doctor…" she began softly, grabbing his hand, feeling ill just seeing that tiny little device on the floor when it ought to be in Amy's hand.

"I don't know where I am…" Amy was still saying as everyone looked down at the blinking light, Rory's mouth falling open in horror, "Please, can anybody hear me?" she broke off with a sob.

The Time Lady closed her eyes tightly, letting out a heavy breathe as she realised that they had taken Amy. Slowly, Rory crouched down and carefully picked up the nano recorder that was only just bigger than a grain of rice, "They took this out of her…" he said softly, stunned and horrified as he looked back up to the Time Lords, "How did they do that?" he stood, staring down at the device, "Why can I hear her?"

The Hatter flinched as Amy whimpered and sobbed shakily, feeling her hearts breaking for the poor girl, knowing how terrified she must have been. The Doctor stepped towards him grimly.

"Is it a recording?" River asked, still kneeling by the spacesuits helmet as she looked over to them.

The Doctor flashed his sonic at the device and checked the results, lowering his head, "Er, it defaults to live," he murmured, "This is current".

"Everything that that she says, it's happening right now," the Hatter added, her voice barely above a whisper, feeling quite sickened by the sound of Amy's terrified crying when there was nothing they could do to try and comfort her.

Rory lifted the device up to his mouth, "Amy, can you hear me?" he asked frantically, desperately trying to speak with her as he turned away from them, "We're coming for you. Wherever you are, we're coming, I swear".

"She can't hear you," the Doctor told him quietly, looking at him sadly, "I'm so sorry. It's one way".

Rory turned back around to face them, focusing on the Doctor, "She can _always_ hear me, Doctor," he said firmly, meeting his eyes with a look of such certainty that it was impossible to even try arguing, " _Always_. Wherever she is, and she always knows that _I_ am coming for her. Do you understand me? _Always_ ".

The Doctor stared at him for a moment as the Hatter took his hand, nodding back to Rory, "Yes, we understand," she agreed, glancing back to the Doctor, because there was no force in the Universe that would ever stop her from going after the Doctor if something ever happened to him, just as she knew, with complete confidence, that the Doctor wouldn't stop until he had found her if she was ever taken. There was nothing in the entire Universe that would ever keep them apart, nothing that would ever stop them from finding each, "Completely and utterly, we know exactly what you mean," she smiled very faintly at the Doctor, "Always".

"Always," the Doctor repeated softly, lifting her hand and planting a gentle kiss to it.

"Doctor?" Amy's voice called out suddenly, "Hatter? Are you out there? Can you hear me?" the Doctor closed his eyes, the Hatter sighing heavily as she noticed Rory look down at the device, knowing how it would pain him to hear Amy calling for them instead of him, "Doctor? Hatter? Oh, God…" she started sobbing, "Please, please, just get me out of this…"

Rory swallowed and look back up to them, "They're coming," he promised her, "I'll bring them, I swear".

"Hello?" a man's voice suddenly called from the hallway, making them jump, quickly spinning around to face the doorway, Canton with his gun at the ready, "Is somebody there?" an older man walked into the doorway, looking quite confused as Canton sighed in relief, lowering his weapon, "I think someone has been shot," he told them, "I think we should help. We c…" he stopped, blinking rapidly, his confusion growing even worse, "I can't re…I can't remember…"

The Doctor grabbed the Hatter's hand and dashed out the door, managing to get the man to lead them back down stairs to the lower levels of the building to his office, the others followed close behind them. They slowed to a fast walk as they reached the landing and the man turned, leading them down a short corridor to where an open door was waiting for them with lights still on inside the shabby office. A chair had been toppled over onto the floor by an old desk that was littered with papers, most of it covered it dust, but it was the alien that was slumped beneath the window opposite from the doorway, that caught their attention, it's rattling breathes sounding slightly laboured with pain as it struggled to move closer towards the wall to get away from them.

Canton shone his torch on the alien as the Time Lords slowly approached it with their hands raised, trying to show it that they meant no harm as they came to kneel a short distance from it, "We have no intention of causing you any more harm," the Hatter said calmly, her voice carrying a slightly harder edge as she went on, "We just need to know who and what you are?"

"Silence, Doctor and Hatter," the alien replied, its raspy voice filling their minds, "We are the Silence".

The Doctor and the Hatter's eyes widened, slowly looking at each other as they realised that they had been warned about the Silence, for months it had followed them almost from everywhere they had gone, the same word had followed them. Silence. Prisoner Zero had known, even Rosanna from their trip to Venice had mentioned the Silence, they had even heard it right before the TARDIS had exploded, and yet, they had never even imagine for a moment that the Silence might be more than an odd manner of phrasing.

"And Silence will fall," the creature finished darkly, practically glaring at them.

The Hatter swallowed and stood, looking determined, "We'll see about that".

 _ **I apologise for the lateness of this chapter, I had meant to post it last week but I had a friend's birthday dinner to attend and didn't have a chance to post it. And this week I've been trying to think of just what I wish to do once I finish my current schooling at the end of next year, whether to go on and do something like chiropracting at University or actually become a medical doctor, eventually specialising in Chronic Fatigue. So that's been keeping me busy. I hope you liked it. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I can't say much, just that the Hatter will not be pleased that the Master's taken a liking to hats. Expect bickering between them, but the Hatter's feelings towards Missy really won't change just because the Master's now a women, if anything it will probably only make the two of them bicker even more. I imagine that the Hatter's reaction to Missy will be very much like the Doctor's, completely shocked and stunned, but I really can't say anything more. I hope that answered you're question :)**_


	4. Chapter 4 Day of the Moon, Part 2

_**Day of the Moon, Part 2**_

After dropping Canton off at Area 51 with the wounded Silence, picking up Nixon on the way just to make sure that things went smoothly while Canton continued to question the Silence, the Time Lords, Rory, and River returned to the warehouse. The Doctor and the Hatter were busy examining the spacesuit with River, having brought it back with them from the children's home. Rory was standing behind them, still cradling the blinking nano recorder in his hand as, every now and then, Amy would start sobbing and whimpering again.

The Hatter didn't know what was worse, hearing Amy's cries and begging for them to come and save her, or hearing the heavy silence when she didn't say anything at all. It almost reminded her of being back in the Time War and when she would help in the emergency medical wards that had been set up close to the front lines for those soldiers who had been injured, some not badly enough for regeneration, while others were wounded even beyond regeneration. The silence that would fill those wards were always the worst, not the yelling or the cries of pain, but the deathly silence. She desperately wished that there was something that they could do for Amy, but at this point they simply had to wait until the chance presented itself. She just hoped that they wouldn't be too late, because she really couldn't imagine what Rory would do if something did happen to Amy. He was already a mess, barely speaking as it was, seeming to find his only comfort clinging on to the nano recorder.

"The target for Apollo 11 astronauts, the moon," a male TV announcer was saying from where they had set up a small, black and white TV set a short distance away with preparations of the launch of Apollo 11 playing on it, "At lift-off, will bet at a distance of 218, 096 miles away. We're just past the two minute mark in the countdown. T minus one minute, fifty four seconds and counting…"

River picked up one of the thick, almost organic looking wires from within the chest cavity of the spacesuit with her gloved hands, holding her hand-held scanner in her other hand at it, "It's an exoskeleton," she informed them, checking the results off her scanner, "Basically, life support. There's about twenty different kinds of alien tech in here".

"Who was she?" the Doctor wondered, frowning deeply as he fiddled with another clump of different coloured wires with bare hands, "Why put her in here?"

"You put this on, you don't even need to eat. The suit processes sunlight directly. It's got a built in weaponry, and communications system that can hack into anything".

"Let me guess," the Hatter looked over the suit to River, pulling her concerned eyes off Rory as he continued to cradle the nano recorder. She raised her eyebrows at her, "That also includes the telephone network?"

"Easily," she agreed.

The Doctor frowned, "But why phone the President?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy, too," the Time Lady cut in before River, having already figured that part out, "The programming would no doubt default to the highest authority it can find, hence the President receiving all those phone calls from a frightened little girl," she shrugged, sighing slightly as the Doctor nodded, listening as he absently reached inside his pocket and pulled out one of the blue envelopes that they had been sent, toying with it, "When the little girl was frightened, the suits programming would have called the President".

"The night terrors with a hotline to the White House," River remarked, looking up to see the Doctor sniffing the envelope with a thoughtful frown before licking it. The Hatter looked at him curiously, hoping he might just have finally found a useful clue that didn't present even more questions than answers, "You won't learn anything from that envelope, you know," she shook her head at him.

"Purchased on Earth," the Doctor said, just to prove River wrong, even if it might not have been what he or the Hatter had been hoping for, turning back around to face them, "Perfectly ordinary stationery. TARDIS blue. Summoned by a stranger who won't even show his face…"

"Or _her_ face," the Hatter cut in, giving the Doctor a pointed look, but she was smiling faintly.

He returned the smile, pointing the envelope in her direction, "Or _her_ face," he agreed, before turning back to look at River, raising his eyebrows at her, "That's a first, for me. Hatter?"

"Even the White Guardian was kind enough to speak with us in person when he sent us off in search for the Key to Time," she commented, nodding in agreement with him. It always made her very nervous when they dealt with a being or even a group of people who simply expected them to do what they wanted and not ask any questions, and refusing to show them their faces just made her all the more suspicious. They could be anyone or anything, they could even be the Dalek's leading them into an elaborate trap, for all they knew, though she highly doubted that at this stage. The Dalek's weren't nearly this subtle enough to be able to fool them like this, nor would they bother to go to so much trouble. No, whoever was behind this, whether their intentions were good or bad, seemed to know them well enough to know that they couldn't just walk away from a mystery, especially if their friends seemed to be involved in some way, and she couldn't decide whether that made her even more concerned.

"How about you, River?" he asked, still with his eyebrows raised in River's direction.

River looked between them both for a moment, a small, almost sad smile on her face, "Our lives are back to front," she reminded them, seeing exactly what he was trying to do, wanting her to slip and say something about her past that might explain who she really was, "Your future's my past," she shook her head, "Your firsts are my lasts".

"That's not really what I asked".

"Ask something else, then".

"Alright," the Hatter said, not at all surprised with her refusal to answer, watching her as River leaned back down to continue examining the suit, "How about this: what would beings like the Silence be doing, raising a little girl?"

"Keeping her safe," River suggested, fiddling with the dial on her scanner to adjust the settings, "Even giving her independence".

The Doctor began to pace, waving his hand around as he spoke, "The only way to save Amy is to work out what the Silence are doing," he began, walking past Rory.

"I know," Rory told him, still cradling the nano recorder.

"And every single thing we learn about them brings us a step closer".

"Yeah, Doctor," Rory said firmly, "I get it. I _know_ ".

The Hatter cast Rory a quick, concerned look, seeing how hard the man was trying to keep himself together, "There is every chance that the little girl isn't just any little girl," she remarked thoughtfully, trying to get off the subject of Amy, at least for a moment.

"Well, I'd say she's human, going by the life support software," River called over to them, checking her scanner results, hesitating slightly.

"But…?" the Doctor questioned, sensing that there was more to it than that, and judging by the dubious expression on the Time Lady's face, she didn't seem to be entirely convinced that the little girl was just an ordinary human child.

"She climbed out of this suit," she informed them, picking up a piece of a frayed strap from within the heart of the chest cavity of the suit, showing it to them, "Like she _forced_ her way out," she went on as both Time Lords stepped closer, the Hatter frowning as she picked up another piece of frayed fabric, eyeing it, "She must be incredibly strong".

"Indeed," the Time Lady murmured to herself, running her thumb over the frayed strap, her mind racing with ideas. The child could be anything, there were plenty of humanoid species out there, but clearly the child had at least a little bit of human DNA, judging by the suit. So, a human hybrid, perhaps? That seemed likely, but a human hybrid of what, exactly? She frowned as a thought occurred to her, but she knew it wasn't possible, but then again…she had long since learnt that you should never rule out anything, especially when you knew so little as they currently did. But even still, the very idea was so completely out there that she knew that she couldn't mention it, not even to the Doctor, not when they had so little evidence to back up her theory, and it would only end up bringing up more questions. No, she would keep the idea to herself and wait until more evidence was brought to light, because the chances that she could be right was so slim, it was almost laughable, which was saying quite a lot for her.

"Incredibly strong and running away," the Doctor smiled, holding up his hands, "I like her," his eyes drifted across to the Hatter beside him, "She makes me think of you".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, amused, "Really? I was actually thinking that she reminded me of you," she smiled as she reached up to pat his cheek, shaking her head, "My last regeneration struggled to lift her own body weight. I would hardly call myself strong, sweetheart".

"I don't mean _physical_ strength," he continued to smile softly at her, enjoying the sensation of her palm cupping his cheek, even if her fingers felt like ice from the chilly warehouse, "I was thinking more along the lines of your strength of character and mind. You're the most stubborn women I've ever meet, dear".

She grinned broadly at him, "You say that like it's a bad thing," she said teasingly, knowing perfectly well that he meant it as a compliment.

"Oh, not in the slightest," he shook his head, returning her grin. He had always admired her determination and refusal to give up, in fact the only time that he had ever witnessed her completely give up was after centuries of pain and loss towards the very end of the Time War, and he knew how much she regretted that now.

"Good thing that you are just as stubborn, sweetheart. We make an excellent pair".

River cleared her throat loudly, giving them both a pointed look as the Time Lords heads snapped around in her direction, "We should be trying to find her," she reminded them, knowing that unless she intervened, they would just end up getting more mushy and flirty with each other.

The Hatter blushed slightly, a flash of guilt crossing her face that they had gotten so distracted with each other when they had far more important things to be focusing on, such as a little girl and Amy's abduction, "Yes, we really should be," she nodded quickly.

"But how?" the Doctor wondered aloud, frowning slightly, "Anyway, I have the strangest feeling she's going to find us".

"Apollo 11, this is Houston," a male voice on the TV sounded, drawing the Time Lords attention over towards it, "How do you read? Over".

The Doctor moved closer to the TV, watching the old black and white film playing across the screen of Apollo 11 preparing to launch, while Rory stepped up on the other side of the Hatter, frowning down at the suit, "Why does it look like a NASA spacesuit?" he questioned, eyeing it.

"Because that's what the Silence do," the Doctor answered, still watching the TV screen, his back to them, "Think about it. They don't make anything themselves," he turned back around to face them, looking thoughtful, "They don't have to".

"Not when they can get other life forms to do it for them," the Hatter added, nodding.

"So they're parasites, then?" River commented, glancing up at them as she continued scanning the suit.

"Superparasites," the Doctor agreed, "Standing in the shadows of human history since the very beginning," he began to move back towards them, focusing on Rory, "We know they can influence human behaviour any way they want. If they've been doing that on a global scale for thousands of years…" he trailed off, his eyes very bright.

"Then what?" Rory asked, frowning.

The Hatter's eyes drifted across to rest on the TV screen, "So why did the human race suddenly decide to travel to the Moon?" she remarked, raising her eyebrows.

"Ten…" the TV announced as they all turned to look, seeing smoke billowing out from beneath Apollo 11, "Nine, ignition sequence start. Six, five, four…"

"Because the Silence needed a spacesuit," the Doctor finished.

"One, zero. All engines running. Lift-off! We have lift-off! Thirty two minutes past the hour, lift-off on Apollo 11".

….

River's communicator beeped as the Time Lords stood beside each other, looking down at the devices small screen as Canton sent them a message from Amy's phone. The Doctor pressed a button on the device, bringing up a recording of the wounded Silence, while River continued to examine the spacesuit and Rory stood a short distance away, his back turned on them as he looked down at the nano recorder in his hand, listening to Amy's whimpering.

"Excellent," the Hatter smiled slightly as she watched the recording, "That will do very nicely".

"This suit…" River began after a moment, catching the Time Lords attention as she frowned slightly, running her scanner down the suits right arm, seeming to be focusing on the gloved hand, "It seems to be repairing itself. How's it doing that?" she glanced back up at the Time Lords, "Doctor, Hatter, a unit like this, would it ever be able to move without an occupant?"

The Doctor and the Hatter paused, looking at each other, "Why?" the Doctor asked, looking back to River, eyeing her curiously.

"Well, the little girl said the spaceman was coming to eat her…" she replied, still frowning thoughtfully as she cast her eyes over the suit, "Maybe that's exactly what happened".

"Interesting idea," the Hatter said, nodding slowly in thought. She hadn't even considered that perhaps the little girl's words might have been more literal then she had first thought, but now that she considered it, children did tend to take things quite literally, especially when frightened. Perhaps River had a _very_ good point there.

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, when Amy's tearful voice drifted over to them from where Rory had moved to sit on the ground, leaning against a crate, "I love you," she said softly, and Rory's head snapped up at once, staring at the nano recorder, "I know you think it's him," the Doctor and the Hatter slowly looked at each other, "I know you think it ought to be him, but it's not," she continued, "It's you. And when I see you again, I'm going to tell you properly, just to see your stupid face," she broke off with a small sob as the Time Lords began to move towards Rory, the Hatter feeling her hearts go out to him seeing how hard he was trying not to cry. She knew that Amy was talking about him, not the Doctor, but clearly Rory didn't seem to realise that quite yet, "My life was so boring before you just…dropped out of the sky…" Amy went on as the Doctor hesitated, seeing Rory hang his head. The Hatter sighed slightly and took the Doctor's hand, giving him an encouraging look as they stepped closer to Rory, "So…just get your stupid face where I can see it, okay? Okay?" she repeated, firmer.

The Hatter gave Rory a comforting look as she took a seat on his right, moving to place a gentle hand on his shoulder as he finally raised his head to look at them, while the Doctor sat on Rory's left, "Amy is going to be _fine_ ," she assured him, squizzing his shoulder as Amy's quiet sobbing came over the recording. She tried to give him a smile, "Hurting her would mean losing any power that they have over us, and they won't want that," she meet his eyes, her voice growing confidant, "Amy is safer right now then any of us are".

"Can you promise that?" Rory asked her, knowing that it was one thing for the Time Lady to say something like that, but a completely different thing for her to make a promise, and right now he was clinging on to anything that might comfort him that Amy would be okay.

She hesitated, her eyes flickering quickly over to the Doctor, before sighing heavily as she looked back to Rory, "I can promise you that no matter what, we will get Amy back," she eventually said, "And I can promise you that they won't harm her while they can still use her as lavage against us".

"That's not what I asked…"

"No," she agreed, cutting across him, "No, it's not. And I so very much wish I could promise you more, but I can't," she sighed again, looking away from him, "The situation is to dangerous, anything could happen at any moment and if I learnt anything from my Father, it was that you should never make a promise or a threat that you might not be able to keep," she finished with a bitter edge entering her voice.

That had been one of the few things that she had actually taken to heart from her parents, that when you say something you should be completely prepared to live up to it. Her Father was, for a politician, surprisingly honest in many things. He wasn't the type of man who would go back against his word when he gave it and held such things as promises very highly, a trait that the Hatter seemed to have inherited, but he was also very careful in just what he said, always being sure to leave a hidden loop hole so that he could back out again without going against his so called 'moral code'.

Rory sighed heavily, looking back to the now quiet nano recorder, "Can't you save her?"

"We can track that signal back," the Doctor told him, nodding to the small device in his hand, "Take us right to her".

"Then why haven't you?" he demanded at once.

"Because then what?" he sighed, frustrated, "We find her and then what do we do? Things are…different now," his eyes drifted over to rest on the Time Lady, his eyes lingering on her stomach, " _We_ have to be different, _smarter_ about how we do things. We can't take the same risks".

"And you also have to remember that this isn't just some alien invasion," the Hatter added, trying to make Rory understand just how complicated the entire saturation was, not just because of the risk it posed to her child, but also the Silence's view point on the whole matter, "The Silence have lived here for…centuries, we don't even know how long for sure, but this…" she waved a hand around the warehouse, "This planet is _their empire_ ".

"This is kicking the Romans out of Rome," the Doctor commented, nodding along with her.

Rory frowned at the Doctor, "Rome fell".

"Yes, I remember it," the Hatter sighed, glancing at the Doctor, "We were both there. But…" she sat up a bit straighter, a sudden determined expression crossing her face, "All things come to an end, even Gallifrey fell…" she swallowed, trailing off as the determination disappeared almost as quickly as it had come at the thought of Gallifrey.

The Doctor wished he could take her hand, but with Rory sitting in-between them, it made it rather hard. He cleared his throat, deciding it would be best to change the subject, "Personal question, Rory," he looked at the man as the thought of Rome made him remember something he had been meaning to ask.

"Seriously?" Rory looked at him in surprise, " _You_?"

He smiled slightly and nodded, "Do you ever remember it?" he asked, glancing at him as the Hatter looked at Rory curiously, having also wondered the same thing, "Two thousand years, waiting for Amy?"

The Hatter smiled at Rory, lightly nudging his side, "The Last Centurion and all that," she added playfully.

Rory looked away from them, "No".

"You're lying," the Doctor accused him at once, while the Hatter simply looked amused at his attempt.

"Of course I'm lying".

"Of course you are," he agreed, "Not the sort of thing anyone forgets".

"But I don't remember it _all_ the time," Rory informed them, his voice soft, still not looking at them, "It's like this door in my head. I can keep it shut".

Amy began sobbing again as he ran his thumb over the nano recorder, "Please, please, just come and get me!" she pleaded tearfully, "Come get me…"

The Doctor stood and stepped away, but the Hatter remade where she was, "We're coming, Amy," she promised, meeting Rory's eyes, knowing that even if Amy couldn't hear them, it still meant something to Rory, "We're coming".

….

The Doctor and the Hatter traced Amy's nano recorder back to her and piloted the TARDIS, bringing it to land somewhere. Even from within the console room they could hear Amy screaming, "No!"

The Time Lords ran down the console steps and across to the doors, the Doctor opening them first and peeking out with a TV set in his hands, "Oh!" he said, sounding surprised as he stepped out of the doorway, the Time Lady following right behind him to find them standing in a darkened room with a set of four controls that bore a resemblance to the TARDIS console standing in the middle of the room with glowing orbs sitting in each control panel and what appeared to be a Time Rotor in the middle of the panels. Several Silence turned to face them, one straightening from where it had been leaning over Amy, who was strapped to an upright table across the room from them.

"Blimey, talk about a blast from the past," the Hatter remarked, running her eyes around at all the very familiar technology from when they meet Craig.

"Interesting," the Doctor nodded in agreement, looking around, too. He made sure to keep himself standing slightly in front of the Time Lady, not liking her being in the same room as the Silence, "Very Aickman Road. We've seen one of these before".

"It looks newer, though," the Time Lady said, eyeing the slightly polished metal around the room as River and Rory stepped out of the TARDIS from behind her, "The last time we saw one of these it had been abandoned".

"I wonder how that happened?" he muttered, exchanging a look with the brunet, before shrugging, "Oh, well," he spun back around to face the TARDIS, while the Time Lady watched the Silence carefully, "I suppose we're about to find out. Rory, River…" he focused on them both as River aimed her blaster out at the Silence, "Keep one Silent in eyeshot at all times," he ordered them, and turned back around, "Oh, hello!" he greeted the Silence as if he hadn't seen them, still carrying the TV, "Sorry, you were in the middle of something. I just had to say, though, have you seen what's on the telly?" he raised his eyebrows at them, grinning, and moved further into the room, the Hatter right behind him, "Oh, hello, Amy!" he said brightly, once again acting as if he hadn't seen her there strapped to a table.

The Hatter cast Amy a concerned look, not seeing any obvious signs of injury, "Are you alright?" she asked her as the Doctor sat the TV set down on the control panel facing Amy. Amy nodded, trying to give her a smile.

"Want to watch some television?" the Doctor said happily, only to pause as the Silence began to approach them, hissing threateningly, "Ah, now, stay where you are," he warned them sharply, reaching out to pull the Hatter closer to his side as River stepped forward with her gun still trained on the Silence, prepared to fire. He held up his hands and spun around to face the Silent behind them, "Because look at me, I'm confident".

"Ooh, you ought to be careful now," the Hatter smirked at the Silent, a hint of teasing entering her voice, "We're unstoppable when we're confident, and trust me, that's not a good thing for _you_ guys when you have to deal with _two_ of us".

"Oh, and this is our friend River," he added, gesturing a hand back over his shoulder to River, his gaze still fixed on the Silent before them, "Nice hair, clever. Just like my wife here…" he gave the Time Lady a playful wink, sneaking a quick kiss to her cheek.

She smiled at him, shaking her head fondly as she turned back to the Silent, which was glaring down at them, "Did we mention that she also has her own gun?" she raised her eyebrows up at it, not the slightest bit intermediated by its towering height, "Which, while we really don't approve of it, she really doesn't mind shooting people," she said lightly, glancing over to River, who was moving closer to them with her gun still pointed at the Silence, "I have to admit, it might just be a little handy in this situation, which I really shouldn't be feeling grateful for right now, but I kind of am".

"Thank you, honeykins," River smiled over her shoulder to her, but her eyes were fixed on the Silence standing before the Time Lady and the Doctor.

"I know you're team players and everything," the Doctor looked around at the Silence, adjusting his blazer, "But she'll definitely kill at least three of you, and that's not even mentioning what the Hatter could do to you with all those pregnancy hormones".

The Hatter laughed slightly, knowing that he really wasn't joking about her there, "Oh, you have no idea, sweetheart".

River flashed them both a cheeky smile, "Oh, I could kill the first seven, _easily_ ," she told them, completely confident of her ability.

"Seven?" the Doctor repeated, raising his eyebrows at River in surprise, "Really?"

"Oh, eight for you two, honeys," she winked at them both.

The Time Lady smiled, highly amused by her bantering, "Oh, stop it, you cheeky thing," she mock scolded her, playfully swatting River's shoulder, knowing that it was all friendly banter and not flirting, as it might have sounded to someone who didn't know them.

"Make me".

"You ought to be careful, River, otherwise you're going to make the Doctor jealous".

"We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Is this really important bantering?" Amy called over to them, frowning at them as the three of them looked back over to her, the Doctor having been just about to say something, "Because I feel like I should be higher on the list right now".

"Yes," the Doctor pointed at her, "Right, sorry," he clapped his hands and turned around to look around at the rest of the Silence, "As I was saying, our naughty friend here is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus him behind…" he gestured with his thumb back towards the Silence standing before the Hatter and River, while Rory hurried around the control panels and Silence to Amy's side, quickly trying to release her, "So maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz…" he moved around the room, glancing back over to the Hatter to make sure that River was still standing beside her, not wanting to leave the Time Lady alone with a room full of Silence, vulnerable.

"So what's he got?" Amy asked Rory, glancing at him as he began trying to untie her bounds.

"Something," Rory replied quietly, throwing a quick look over to the Doctor, "I hope".

"Trust me, it's going to be good," the Hatter grinned at them, winking as she looked back over to the Doctor.

"…or maybe you could just listen a minute," the Doctor continued as he moved around the console, "Because all I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then we'll let you go in peace. Yes," he clapped his hands again, making his way back around to the Hatter and River, "You've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes, people have suffered…" he came to a stop right in front of the main Silence, which seemed to be the one in charge, "And died, but what's the point of having two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving, now and then?" the Silence didn't say a word, simply glaring down at them, "Ooh, the Silence," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, "You guys take that seriously, don't you? Okay," he spun back around, his tone growing lighter, "You got me. We're lying. We're not really going to let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. First…" he hit a switch on the TV, turning it on.

"The little girl," the Hatter began, eyeing the main Silence with a hard expression, "Tell us who she is and just why she is so important to you?" she took a step closer to the main Silence, and the Doctor was at her side almost instantly, ready in case the Silence tried to attack her. She narrowed her eyes at the alien, her voice growing more demanding, "What are you using her for? What about her parents?"

The Silence didn't answer.

"And we're getting a picture on the TV," the TV announced as the first images from the Moon began to be sent back to Earth.

The Doctor eyed the main Silence, "Guys, sorry, but we're out of time," he said, and clapped his hands as he spun back around and moved over to the TV, taking the Hatter with him, not about to leave her by herself in front of the man Silence, "Now, come on. A bit of history for you," he glanced back to the Silent, "Aren't you proud?" he asked, grabbing the TV's antennas and extending them up, clearing some of the static from the screen, "Because you helped…" he hit the top of the unit, making the Time Lady shake her head in amusement seeing him once again falling back onto hold habits. He turned back around to face the Silent, draping one arm over the top of the TV as he continued, "Now, do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly?"

The Hatter grinned at the Silence, "Half a _billion_ people," she told them, before waving her hand dismissively, "Which, yes, does sound pretty impressive, but that's _nothing_ when you consider that the human race will one day spread out among the stars," her grin turned prouder as she glanced back at the TV screen, "Billions and billions of humans, for billions and billions of years, and each and every single one of them will know the story of when the first man walked on the Moon," she looked back to Silent, her eyes twinkling as she took a step closer to the main Silent, "But they won't just _know_ the story, they will have _watched_ this moment as that very first step takes place, they will be _inspired_ by this moment in their history, and it will never, _ever_ be forgotten. Not in a century, not even in five centuries, the human race will still remember".

They all looked at the screen as the first astronaut climbed down a ladder on the outside of Apollo 11, preparing to step down on the Moon's surface for the very first time. The Hatter couldn't help feeling her hearts rate increase in excitement, unable to help the flash of pride she felt witnessing one of the most important moments in human history. It didn't matter how many times she witnessed it, even witnessing it play out live before her eyes as her TARDIS and past self, along with her companions, stood invisible in the doorway a short distance away on the Moon's surface, she still felt the same excitement. Actually, now that she thought about it, quite a number of her past selves were witnessing this very moment in some way or another, along with the Doctor, which just went to show what an incredible moment it truly was.

"Oh…" the Doctor said suddenly, thoughtful. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out one of the communications that the Hatter's had built, "But don't forget this bit," he turned back around to face the man Silent, lifting the device up to his ear, "Ready?" he called over the device.

"Ready," Canton's voice called back on the other end.

"That's one small step for man…" the astronaut on the TV began…

When the TV crackled and suddenly, the wounded Silent appeared on the screen, glaring weakly back at them, "You should kill us all on sight…" it said.

The Hatter grinned at the main Silent as it hissed angrily, knowing that they had just taken a leaf out of the Silence's book and planted the idea into every signal human's mind as they watched, "Ooh, that wasn't very clever," she remarked mockingly, waving a finger at it, "You've now just given the order for your own execution, and now the entire planet just heard you!"

"You should kills us all on sight…"

The TV crackled again and the astronaut appeared again, "…one giant leap for mankind," he finished, stepping down onto the Moon's surface.

"And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence!" the Doctor cheered, kicking thin air as he meet the main Silent's sunken eyes, while the Hatter laughed slightly.

As far as the Hatter was concerned, anything that happened to the Silence would be on their own heads, especially if they didn't listen. This was just them giving the human race a chance to fight back and defend themselves, and if the Silence didn't listen, then they would pay the price. It was cold, perhaps, but the Silence had left them with very little choice.

"You've just raised an army against yourself!" he continued as the Silence hissed again, "And now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day…" the Silent moved closer to him, furious now, "How fast can you run? Because today's the day the human race throw you off their planet!"

"None of them will even have a clue that their doing it," the Hatter added, not letting the slight nervous feeling that was starting to spread through her show as the Silent began to force them back towards the TV with every step, towering over them as the Doctor took her hand, "You've lost, because give the human race a common enemy to fight against to protect their planet, to protect their families and children, and they'll destroy you without blinking".

The Doctor smirked up at the Silent, "I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is 'oops,'" he said, his smirk disappearing as the lights around them began to flash and electricity started to crackle off the furious Silence. He held the Hatter's hand tighter, "Run!" he called.

The Hatter's eyes widened slightly, seeing the Silence leaning closer towards them, while the humans didn't move, "Ah, guys, he means _you_!" she shouted, her voice sounding slightly higher than normal, " _Run_!"

Electricity crackled through the air as the Silence began screeching. The Doctor wrapped his arm around the Hatter's back as they both ducked beneath the Silent before them, hurrying away from it, trying to avoid being hit with the electricity as River started firing around the room at the Silence, which were trying to close ranks around them. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started flashing it around the room as the air was filled with Silence cries of pain as they went down and small explosions.

The Time Lady, who was peering around the edge of one of the claw-like pillars surrendering the console, trying very hard to avoid accidently getting hit, couldn't help staring at the Doctor in disbelief, "What on Earth do you think that's going to do, sweetheart?" she exclaimed, shaking her head at him.

"I'm helping!" he called back to her, spinning around in a circle as he continued to flash his sonic around, doing absolutely nothing to help.

"How? By giving the Silence a moving target to focus on while River shoots them?"

"I…" he paused, searching for a word, before pointing a finger at her, mock annoyed, "Oh, just get in the TARDIS!"

She smiled slightly, "And miss the chance as your wife and best friend to tease you?" she replied, amused, "Not yet".

"I can't get her out!" Rory shouted over to them, trying to undo Amy's bounds.

"Go!" Amy told him urgently, "Go!"

"We are _not_ leaving without you!"

The Hatter made a dash across to the couple, trying to bend to avoid getting hit by anything, managing to make it over to them as she quickly tried to the latches holding Amy.

Amy shook her head in exasperation with Rory, "Look, will you just get your stupid face out of here!"

Rory stopped, his head snapping back up to look at her, stunned. Amy simply looked at him in confusion, wondering why he had stopped so suddenly at her words when they were in the middle of a fight.

"Hatter!" River called urgently, still shooting, but her eyes were fixed worriedly on the Time Lady across the room, "Run!" she leaned back as a bolt of electricity narrowly missed hitting her, "Into the TARDIS, quickly!"

The Hatter shook head at her, not about to leave Amy behind, "You know me, River, I never listen to orders!" she shouted back, holding her hand up, "Doctor, sonic!"

The Doctor ran over to them, almost skidding on the floor as he reached them, flashing his sonic at Amy's restraints, releasing her before grabbing the Hatter's hand and pulling her along with him, making sure to shield her as best he could with his own body as they moved, flashing his sonic around once more as Rory helped Amy make her way over to the TARDIS, half supporting her, while the Doctor and River tried to give them enough cover for them to walk. The Hatter, almost reluctantly, hurried after the human couple, knowing that she was only putting herself in unnecessary danger when she had done all that she could to help.

"Don't let them build to full power!" the Doctor told River, spinning around as he backed back towards the TARDIS, still trying to keep the Hatter in his line of sight, knowing that he wouldn't be able to breathe easily until he saw her safely inside the console room.

"I know!" River yelled back, still firing her gun as she hit another Silence, "There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey!" they moved back to back with each other as she glanced back over her shoulder to see him still waving his sonic around, "What are _you_ doing?"

They spun around together, still back to back, "Helping!" he replied, relief washing over him as he saw the Hatter, Amy, and Rory disappear inside the TARDIS from the corner of his eye.

"You've got a _screwdriver_ , go build a cabinet!"

"That's _really_ rude!"

River rolled her eyes and nudged him towards the TARDIS with her bum, "Learn to drive!" she shot back.

The Doctor threw her another look as he ran back over to the TARDIS, pausing at the doorway to wave his sonic around, before dashing inside, leaving River to continue firing her gun around at the remaining few Silence still standing. He ran up the steps to the console, finding the Hatter already working at the controls, getting ready to take off, while Rory was fussing over Amy, making sure that she was settle into one of the jump seats.

The Hatter looked up as he joined her at the controls, "Where's River?" she asked, frowning slightly as she noticed that the curly haired women hadn't followed him.

He went to open his mouth, just as the noise of River's gun being fired grew even louder. He raised his eyebrows at her, "Where do you think, dear?" he smiled at her.

She shook her head, flickering a switch, "She certainly does enjoy her work," she commented, sighing slightly as she looked around the Time Rotor to Rory and Amy, "Rory, would you mind fetching River? I do believe we've made our point clear enough".

Rory glanced back to Amy, who gave him a nod, before sighing and straightening from where he had been kneeling and moving down the steps, heading for the doors. He peeked outside for a moment and slowly stepped out. A few moments passed before River entered the TARDIS, practically running up to join the Time Lords at the console, pulling a lever down as Rory, looking slightly shocked, following behind her, shutting the door.

The Doctor huffed as he caught sight of River trying to help them pilot the old girl, "You could let us fly it!" he grumbled, waving a hand around at her in annoyance.

"Yeah, or we could go where we're supposed to and save the Hatter the added stress of having to fix _your_ mistakes!" she retorted, completely ignoring him as she reached across him to hit another switch.

"Thank you, River!" the Hatter laughed, moving around the console to high five the women.

"Oh, fine!" the Doctor said loudly, moving back from the console with a sulky expression, "Just gang up on me, girls".

The Time Lady smiled at him, moving too quickly kiss his cheek, "Don't sulk, sweetheart," she told him, amused, "It doesn't suit you," and with that, she spun away from him again and back over to the controls, not missing the small twitch of his lips or the way his eyes lightened at her kiss and teasing.

Amy shook her head at them and stood, turning around to see Rory still standing by the doors with an odd expression on his face, "What's the matter with you?" she asked him, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

"You called me stupid," Rory said to her, stepping closer to her as she walked down the steps towards him.

"I _always_ call you stupid," she shrugged, not seeing his point.

"No, uh, my _face_ ," he clarified, shaking his head. She frowned at him for a long moment, confused, when it slowly dawned on her. Her eyes flickered down to his closed hand and she grabbed it, gently peeling back his fingers to reveal the blinking nano recorder sitting in the palm of his hand. She sighed and looked back up to his face, his expression growing sheepish, knowing that he had been caught out, "I wasn't sure who you were talking about," he said quietly, "You know, me or…" his eyes flickered over to the Doctor, who was doing a very good job of pretending to be piloting the TARDIS with the Hatter.

"Him?" Amy said, startled as she raised her eyebrows at him. She had to admit that she had had a crush on the Doctor for a while there, but things were so different now. She loved the Doctor, but not in the slightest bit in a romantic way, that would just be…weird now.

"Well, you did say 'dropped out of the sky…'"

"It's a figure of speech, moron," she rolled her eyes fondly, shaking her head as she leaned forward and kissed him.

They pulled apart after a moment, Rory blinking at her, "Thanks?"

She smirked, "You're welcome".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a pleased look, risking a peek around the Time Rotor to the couple as they smiled gently, glad to see everything working out just nicely.

…

They were back in the Oval Office, needing to say their final goodbyes before they could take River back to her prison cell.

"So we're safe again?" Nixon laughed happily, shaking the Doctor's hand, seeming to be quite relieved, while Amy sat on one of the couches, and Rory and River watched on from the doorway of the TARDIS.

"Safe?" the Doctor repeated, staring at the other man as if he had lost his mind at the very suggestion that they were safe. The Hatter tried very hard not to laugh, "No, of course you're not safe," he dropped his hand as Nixon shook the Time Lady's hand, "There's about a billion other things out there just waiting to burn your whole world…"

"Ah, Doctor?" the Hatter cut in, clearing her throat loudly as she noticed Nixon's smile fade, growing slightly alarmed. She nudged his side, keeping her small smile on her face, "Perhaps the less details, the better".

He glanced at her, before looking back to Nixon, finally seeming to notice the alarmed expression on his face, "Yes, right," he nodded, flashing him a bright smile, "But, if you want to pretend you're safe, just so you can sleep at night?" he continued happily, "Okay, you're safe. But you're not really," he shook his head, completely missing the strange frown Nixon was giving him.

The Hatter sighed, rolling her eyes fondly, not even going to bother pointing out that he hadn't really grasped what she had been trying to tell him before, "Don't mind him," she tried to assure Nixon, "He's exaggerating…" she paused, considering what she had just said, "Well, sort of, not really…"

"And that's _really_ helping," the Doctor commented, amused as he glanced at her.

"Hush," she muttered, lightly hitting his chest as a blush spread across her face. Okay, so maybe her mouth had run away from her a bit there.

He smiled at her and turned around to face Canton, who was standing behind them, "Canton," he reached out and took his hand, shaking it, "Until the next one, eh?"

"Looking forward to it," Canton grinned at them both, letting go of his hand, turning to the Hatter with his hand outstretched.

"Oh, I don't do handshakes," the Hatter told him cheerfully, before happily throwing her arms around the rather startled man, who only returned the hug after an encouraging look from the Doctor over the Time Lady's shoulder.

"You didn't hug Nixon," the Doctor pointed out, amused as they pulled apart, poor Canton still looking quite taken aback.

She shrugged at him, glancing back to Nixon, who seemed almost grateful to miss out on the hug, "Well, I didn't want to accidently get shot, did I?" she said reasonably, as if it should have been completely obvious, "I almost made that mistake when I hugged Queen Elizabeth II at a party and very nearly ended up regenerating early, thankfully Liz managed to call them off before anything to unpleasant could happen".

While everyone else was looking at her strangely, some even a little unsure whether or not she was being serious, the Doctor simply shook his head at her and turned back to face Nixon, "Canton just wants to get married," he said to him, growing serious, "Hell of a reason to kick him out of the FBI".

Nixon smiled at them both, "I'm sure something can be arranged," he agreed, nodding.

"Oh, I'm quite sure it can be," the Hatter remarked, her tone still light, but her gaze was steady as she held Nixon's. The Doctor took her hand as they both turned and started to walk over to the TARDIS.

"Er, Doctor, Hatter," he grabbed the Doctor's arm, stopping them both as they looked back to him, curious, "Canton here tells me you're…" he hesitated slightly, looking between them, "You're from the _future_. Hardly seems possible, but I was wondering…"

"I feel I ought to warn you," the Hatter cut in, giving him a small smile, "But we don't usually answer many questions referring to a person's future. Very rarely, in fact".

"But I'm a President at the beginning of his time. Dare I ask…will I be remembered?"

"Oh, Dicky," the Doctor smiled broadly at him, "Tricky Dicky. They're never going to forget you," he lightly pattered Nixon's arm as he and the Hatter turned again, moving back towards the TARDIS, "Say 'hi' to David Frost for me," he added over his shoulder.

"David Frost?" Nixon muttered behind them, confused.

The Hatter laughed and waved back to him with a cheeky wink, before moving inside the TARDIS after Amy, Rory, and River, the Doctor following close behind her, closing the door. They dematerialised a moment later.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood together in the doorway of River's cell in Stormcage, leaning against the bars as River stood before them, already in her cell, smiling faintly at them.

"You know," the Hatter began, giving her a gentle smile, "You are always more than welcome to come with us. I know I would certainly enjoy your company".

There was still so many questions that needed to be answered when it came to River, still a mystery to solve there, but even though she knew that River was in prison, there was still something about the women that made her want to trust her. That might have been very stupid of her, but River had not once shown the slightest inkling of aggression towards them, in fact, she had given up her own life for them when they hadn't even known her, which said a great deal about her as far as the Hatter was concerned.

"I escape often enough, thank you," River remarked, but she was still smiling as she said it, "And I have a promise to live up to," her smile turned sadder as she adjusted the Doctor's bowtie, before straightening the Hatter's star brooch clipped onto her front, "You'll understand soon enough".

"Okay," the Doctor nodded, "Up to you," he took the Hatter's hand and they turned, heading back over to the TARDIS parked behind them, "See you next time. Call us!"

"Bye, River," the Hatter waved back to her.

"What?" River watched them go, smiling at them as if they had said something funny, "That's it?" she asked, laughing slightly as they stopped and turned back to her, confused. They began to move back towards her, "What's the matter with you two?" she shook her head.

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter, but she could only shrug, just as clueless as him. He looked back to River, "Have we forgotten something?" he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

She stared at them, still smiling at them with that same, amused expression, "Oh, shut up," she laughed, shaking her head as she suddenly threw her arms around them both, hugging them tightly, planting a kiss to the Hatter's cheek as she did so, while they simply stood there, frozen in surprise for a moment, before the Hatter, feeling that it would be rude not to, hastily hugged her back. The Doctor could only blink in surprise as River pulled back, frowning at them expectedly, "Well?" she eventually said when they didn't move.

"Well…?" the Doctor repeated slowly, his eyes wide.

River's frown deepened, and for the first time a spark of worry crossed her face, "You didn't kiss my forehead," she told them, looking between them both as the Time Lords simply looked confused, "You always do that".

"Right," he said slowly, glancing at the Hatter, before scratching his cheek, "Okay, interesting…"

"What's wrong?" she took a small step back from them, eyeing them carefully as the worry seemed to grow, "You're acting like you've never heard that before?"

The Hatter felt her hearts breaking as she realised that River hadn't realised yet, that she didn't know that it wasn't them who had hugged and kissed her forehead, "That's because…" she sighed heavily, hating having to tell her, but she needed to know, "We haven't, at least not _yet_ …"

River blinked, her eyes widening in shock, "We haven't?" she breathed.

"Oh, look at the time," the Doctor quickly checked his watch, not really seeing what it said, just desperately trying to get away from the rather awkward situation, "Um…must be off. But it was very…nice," he glanced at the Hatter, who was looking sadly at River, "…it was…it was good…"

"Yes," the Time Lady agreed hurriedly, trying to give River a smile as she reached out, putting a hand on her arm, "It was a nice hug…"

"It was unexpected," he added, starting to back away towards the TARDIS.

The Hatter sighed heavily, hating to see River look so heartbroken, almost feeling psychically pained herself by the look on her face, "Don't worry," she tried to say cheerfully, "There's always a first time for everything," and she pulled River in for another tight hug, hoping that it might cheer her up a bit, and lightly kissed her forehead as she pulled back.

Sadly, it only seemed to make River more upset as the Hatter reluctantly followed after the Doctor, who held the TARDIS doors open for her, and slipped inside with him, trying very hard to ignore River's soft voice from behind them as the door closed, "And a last time…"

…

"Uh, Rory!" the Doctor called, making his way around the console to where Rory and the Hatter were standing, the Time Lady having been given him a little TARDIS piloting lesson, "I'm going to need thermocouplings," he informed the man, patting his shoulder as he reached them, "The green ones and the blue ones".

"Okay," Rory nodded, "Hold on," he headed over to the stairs to collect the items, disappearing from sight.

Amy made her way over to the Time Lords, leaning against the console as they turned to face her the moment that Rory was out of earshot, "So…" the Doctor began.

"So?" Amy repeated, eyeing them both as the Hatter crossed her arms, leaning against the console beside her. They both had their serious, thoughtful faces on, which never meant anything good.

"Are you…" the Time Lady searched for the right word, looking at her closely, "Feeling alright?"

"Fine," she replied, before frowning slightly, "Heads a bit…weird. There's loads of stuff I can't quite…remember…" she looked away from them for a long moment, her eyes growing distant, before she shook her head and looked back to them again.

"After effect of the Silence," the Doctor said calmly, his arms crossed over his chest, "Natural enough. That's not what we were asking," he eyed her carefully, "You told us you were pregnant".

"Yes…"

"Why?" he questioned, frowning.

"Because I was…" the Hatter's eyes widened in alarm, thinking that something terrible must have happened, but Amy quickly went on when she caught sight of her face, "I mean, I _thought_ I was," she corrected herself, gaining a relieved sigh from the Time Lady, "It turns out I wasn't".

"No," the Hatter shook her head, "He mean's, why did you tell _us_?"

"Because you're my friends," Amy said, smiling at them, "My best friends".

The Time Lords smiled at her, the Hatter feeling quite touched to hear that, but a thought quickly occurred to her, "What about Rory?" she asked, eyeing her reaction closely, "Did you tell him?"

Amy looked away for a moment, "No".

The Doctor frowned slightly, "Amy, why tell us and not Rory?"

"Why do you think?" they shrugged, having no idea as she sighed, "I travelled with you two in this TARDIS for so long. All that time…if I was pregnant for some of it, wouldn't it have had an effect?" the Hatter gave her an understanding look and wrapped her arm around her. She gave her a grateful look as she went on, "I don't want to tell Rory his baby might have three heads or, like, a time head, or something…"

The Doctor smiled slightly, leaning towards Amy, his arms still crossed, "What's a time head?" he asked, amused.

"I don't know, but what if it had one?"

He laughed as the Hatter struggled to hold back a smile, "A time head?" he repeated.

"Shut up," Amy nudged his side, before joining with his laughter, the Time Lady quickly following, "Oi, stupid face!" she suddenly called out, her laughter fading.

"Er, yeah?" Rory's voice came after a moment. The three of them turned to look over at the stairs as he slowly crept into view, looking slightly guilty, the nano recorder blinking in his hand, "Hello…" he said awkwardly.

The Doctor and the Hatter waved at him, both quite amused as Amy looked at him sternly, "I'm taking that away from you, if you're going to listen in all the time," she threatened him.

"Okay, that's a fair point," he nodded, walking up the steps to them, a frown crossing his face, "But you should've told me that you thought you were pregnant. I'm a _nurse_ ," he held out his arms, "I'm good with pregnancy".

"Not, as it turns out, that good," she laughed as the Time Lords smiled, watching as she walked over to him, "So please stop being stupid," she wrapped her arms around him.

"Er, no," he shook his head, his tone teasing as he hugged her back, "Never!" he picked her up and swung her around on the spot, making her sequel in surprise, "I'm never, ever, going to stop being stupid".

The Hatter smiled gently, glancing at the Doctor, "Sounds like someone else I know," she remarked playfully, nudging his side.

The Doctor leaned down and kissed her, pulling away far too quickly for both of their tastes, but they still had work to do. He smiled at her gently as he lightly tapped the tip of her nose, before straightening, "So!" he said loudly, clapping his hands together as he moved around the console, Amy and Rory still giggling as they hugged, "This little girl. It's all about her," he grabbed the monitor and pulled it back around to where the Hatter was still standing, Amy and Rory separated and moved to stand across the console from the Time Lords, "Who was she?" he wondered, before glancing back over to the human couple, "Or we could just go off and have some adventures. Anyone in the mood for adventures?" he looked at the Hatter, raising his eyebrows at her, "Because I am".

The Time Lady flashed him a broad smile, quickly typing something into the controls, "Well, you only get to live one…" she paused, reconsidering what she had just said, "Or thirteen times, depending on your view point and if you're a Time Lord".

Amy and Rory looked at each other, shaking their heads in amusement as Amy looked back across to the Time Lords, smiling at them, but she seemed to be thinking about something else.

The Hatter glanced at the Doctor as they looked back up to the monitor, watching as an image of Amy appeared on the screen, reading the scans results:

'Amelia Pond. Full body scan in progress. Pregnancy…'

The Doctor and the Hatter watched as the scanner flipped between positive and negative, not seeming to be able to give an accurate results of whether or not Amy really was pregnant. Slowly, they looked at each other, confused and very concerned, because if the TARDIS couldn't tell, what did that even mean?

….

"Hmm…"

"Oh, dear," the Hatter sighed, eyeing the Doctor's slight frown, "What's wrong?"

"Your blood pressure is higher than I would like it," he informed her, undoing the thin strip of fabric from around her upper arm, having finished checking the results on a small screen attached to the fabric, before sitting it aside on the bedside table.

She rolled her eyes and pulled the sleeve of her top back down. He had insisted that she rest for a few hours before they went anywhere and it had also given him an excuse to check her blood pressure, which is how she had found herself leaning against her pillows on top of their bed with the Doctor sitting beside her, "After the three months we've had, is it any wonder?" she asked, amused.

"No," he agreed, still frowning at her as he covered her tight clad knee with his hand, "But it's still concerning".

"Stop fussing, sweetheart. I'm _fine_ ," she sighed heavily, thinking about Amy, "We have more worrying things to consider, such as what is going on with Amy".

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, his frown only deepening with concern, "The Silence must have done something to her, but why?" he shook his head, "Why would they do something to Amy when she's pregnant, what would be the point?

The Hatter considered it for a moment, before her eyes widened and she gasped, grabbing the Doctor's hand that was still resting on his knee, "The little girl!" she exclaimed, growing excited now, "What if the girl was…" her excitement faded, replaced with horror of what that would mean if it was true, "Oh…"

"What?" he asked worriedly. This really wasn't going to be helping keep her blood pressure down.

"The girl, what if she was Amy's child?"

"Oh," he said, before it hit him just why her excitement had been so short lived, " _Oh_ …" he trailed off, sighing, "It is a possibility," he conceded, nodding.

"But a very horrible one," the Time Lady remarked, wishing that the thought had never even entered her head, but after the strange test results and Amy's abduction, it seemed to be a logical jump.

"There's no evidence or proof…"

"No, but there's also _enough_ evidence to not completely rule out the possibility, which would mean that Amy _is_ pregnant. Five to four months, at my guess".

"And the Silence took her…" the Doctor began slowly, straightening as a thought occurred to him, a very, very worrying thought as he looked back to her, "You don't think…"

The Hatter swallowed, hard, "Yes, sweetheart, I rather think I do".

"Amy isn't really Amy. The Silence have taken her and left behind a…clone?"

"No," she shook her head, frowning, "Clone would be easy to see through, this is more than just a clone. This is like a part of Amy, an extension of herself, one that is so good that she is completely unaware of it herself".

She froze suddenly, her hand flying to her stomach with an odd look crossing her face, "What?" the Doctor said urgently, growing alarmed, seeing her reaction, "Is something wrong?" the Hatter shook her head, looking as if she was about to cry as she picked up his hand and pressed it against her stomach, watching his face carefully as, after a moment, his eyes widened. He took a deep breathe, is that…"

"Kicking," she nodded, before laughing in delight, reaching up to wipe away a tear from her eye, "I've….I've never felt it do that before".

"Our baby," he grinned, laughing slightly, feeling a wave of intense emotion wash over him as tears prickled his own eyes. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her stomach, ignoring the fabric of her top as he did so, "Our little girl…"

"Or boy," the Hatter cut across him sharply, giving him a stern look to remind him that there was every chance that they were having a boy.

"Or boy," he agreed, glancing back up to her, "Well, regardless, no more talk about Amy and clones, or the Silence," he pointed at her, trying to sound firm, but it was slightly ruined by the shine of tears in his eyes, "It's too stressful for you both".

She rolled her eyes fondly, but she couldn't even pretend to be annoyed with him, not after that little moment, "Alright, fine," she said loudly, before fixing him with a look, "But If I'm under bed-arrest for the next few hours, you have to stay with me. We can watch a movie".

"That sounds fair," he smiled, only pretending as if he hadn't been planning to do that the entire time, "But not an exciting movie…"

"Aww!" she groaned, sounding like a whinny child, "That pretty much rules out most of the movies I enjoy".

"We could always…"

"If you say 'romance movie' I am going to smack you with my pillow".

"Right," he said, jumping up and moving away, out of pillow hitting range, at least, "Whatever you want, dear. Disney?"

The Hatter gave him a look as if he was being a complete idiot, "Obviously".

"I'll get the popcorn, then," the Doctor smiled and shook his head fondly, heading for the door. They knew that in a few hours' time they would have to start thinking about everything that was going on with Amy and the Silence, but what else could they do? They needed more information but until then, they needed to take a break and simply relax, watching Disney movies in bed with popcorn included.

 _ **I know it's later then I would normally post this, but I only just finished it, and I really wanted to post it tonight. I am considering doing Space and Time next, before the Curse of The Black Spot, just because it seems to fit in nicely before that episode, but I'm still undecided. Do any of you have any preference or suggestion in regards to that?**_

 _ **Well, we've finally finished with 1969 and the Silence…for the time being, of course. The Time Lords are already on to Amy, but still need more information before they can be sure, and the Doctor and the Hatter have shared a happy baby moment, along with a no doubt fun Disney marathon with popcorn. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Things are starting to change a bit in regards to the Hatter's darker side. Before now, she would have been completely against the idea of River killing, even killing the Silence would have gone against everything she believes in, but in this chapter she was, even if she might not have approved, pretty willing to just let River get on with fighting off the Silence. You have to take in account that the Hatter's not just going to change completely, her compassion is her strongest trait, a trait that conflicts against that darker side, and that isn't something that she is going to lose, not without a huge emotional trauma, such as the loss of her children, and even then she still retained her compassion, once again, after she regenerated. I understand what you're saying, I really do, and that darker side is coming and it will make an appearance very, very soon. I think that this regeneration of hers is possibly a darker one then she's had since the Time War, it just hasn't been given a reason to come out yet, but it**_ _ **will**_ _ **and it will have something to do with her child. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest review (2):**_ _ **I'm afraid that the Hatter wasn't present during the TV movie, she only heard about it from the Doctor after the events took place. I'm going to be doing the Three Doctors next, though. Thank you for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **Don't worry, the Doctor and the TARDIS have such a special connection that it would be impossible for me not to focus on that relationship during the Doctor's Wife. The Hatter will, of course, be there and have a active role during the episode with a bit of her usual teasing and banter thrown in, but it will be mainly focused on the connection that the Doctor has with the TARDIS. I really wish I could tell you more but I can't at this point. But, like I said, the Hatter will be there with the Doctor and with Idris, and there will still be a bit of their flirting banter, but the chapters will focus more so on the Doctor and Idris then on the Hatter and him, since you are completely right. The Hatter loves the TARDIS and the TARDIS loves her, but it's nothing compared to the bond that the Doctor and his TARDIS have. The TARIDS is like his Mother, sister, and daughter (at least, in my story it is), and that's what I'm going to try and focus on for that part of the story. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **Well, at this point I really can't say if there is a War Hatter or not. I have left hints scattered throughout the past few stories about whether or not there was, but at this point I can neither confirm nor deny that there is a War Hatter. I will leave you with something to consider: the Hatter built the Moment during the Time War, one of the most feared weapons on Gallifrey, so what does that say about her mentality during those years? I'm sorry I can't really say anything more, but I thank you for the review and advice :)**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **I'm afraid that the Hatter didn't fight at all during the Time War, she wasn't allowed to because she was seen as to valuable to fight, so she wouldn't have been on Karn at all during the Time War, she would have been stuck on Gallifrey, but I do like your idea and thank you for suggesting it :)**_


	5. Chapter 5 Space and Time

_**Space and Time**_

The Doctor was lying on his back on a trolley, half hidden beneath the console with his legs sticking out as he happily whistled to himself as he worked. The Hatter was sitting on the floor beside him on a pillow, since she had found the glass floor quite hard, and with a clipboard in her hands, softly humming to herself as she made a note to herself, casting the Doctor a quick look as he pulled a piece of tubing out of the console. She didn't really need the clipboard, she just had it because she thought it made her look bossier. Her forest green tights with her yellow shoes, though, did ruin the look she was trying to pull slightly.

"Dear?" the Doctor's voice caught her attention, making her look back over to see his hand reaching up blindly onto the console panel above him, narrowly avoiding hitting button that would have caused quite a mess if he had accidently hit it.

"Stop it," the Time Lady lightly scolded him, smacking his hand away, ignoring his small yelp of pain as he quickly withdrew it back beneath the console. It hadn't really hurt him, he was just being dramatic, "Rule number one in the TARIDS handbook: never touch the console if you can't _see_ it," she told him sternly, reaching across to touch the button he had been searching for.

"You made that up!" he accused, his voice slightly muffled.

"Doesn't mean it's not a good rule to go by".

He wheeled the trolley back out so that he could look over to her, "When have you ever followed the rules?" he said, amused.

She smiled at him, "When I choose to, which happens rarely".

He laughed and wheeled himself back under the console, getting back to work as the Hatter went back to her humming, looking back down to her clipboard as she made another note that was more gibberish then anything.

Amy soon found them, walking around the console to join them, "Hey," she greeted them.

"Hey!" the Doctor called back to her, wheeling himself back out to see her, before pushing himself back under.

"Morning, Amy," the Hatter flashed her a bright smile, waving her pencil up at her.

She eyed the brunet, "Are you humming 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' from the Lion King?" she asked.

She winked at her, "Quite possibly".

Amy shook her head, not in the slightest bit surprised to discover the Hatter humming a Disney song, in fact she was more surprised that she didn't do it more often, "Right," she said, amused as she sighed slightly and bent down, grabbing the front of the Doctor's shirt and used it to forcibly wheel him back out so that she could see his face, ignoring the startled look he gave her, "Listen, can we talk?" she looked between the Time Lords.

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted, almost frantically, before he quickly pushed himself back under the console, as if he was trying to hide from Amy. Hearing a women say something like that always made him nervous, better to let Rory deal with it or else he could very easily end up being slapped. Again.

The Hatter rolled her eyes and tossed the clipboard aside to clatter loudly on the floor somewhere across the room, the pencil rolling off the edge of the floor, focusing her attention on Amy, quite curious as to what it was she wanted to speak with them about. It seemed quite serious, judging by the small frown on Amy's face.

Amy rolled her eyes and grabbed him by his lapels, pulling him back out again, "No, shut up," she told him firmly, "I've just got a question, that's all…"

"You okay up there?" Rory's called, and Amy blinked in surprise as she caught sight of Rory standing beneath the glass flooring under them with a pair of blackened safety goggles on and a small tool in his hand.

"Perfectly fine, Rory!" the Hatter assured him, raising her voice slightly so that he could hear.

Amy stood, putting her hands on her hips as she stared down at her husband, "What are you doing?" she questioned, suspicious.

"Helping the Doctor, who is being supervised by the Hatter…" he informed her, shrugging as he glanced back over to whatever he was working on, while the Doctor disappeared back under the console. He looked back up to the Hatter, "Ah, it's humming," he said to her, sounding mildly concerned, "Is that okay?"

The Doctor wheeled himself back out again, "Yeah, its fine".

"It just means that we've now entered conceptual space," the Hatter replied, waving his concern off.

"Imagine a banana," the Doctor added helpfully, "Or anything curved. Actually, don't," he shook his head, reconsidering what he had just said, "It's not curved or like a banana. Forget the banana!" he called, disappearing once more under the console.

"Great, now I feel like a banana milkshake," the Time Lady sighed slightly, casting an almost longing look over towards the stairs leading off towards the hallways, wondering if she could sneak away to the kitchens for a moment. Damn these pregnancy cravings, she still couldn't get enough green apples.

Amy shook her head at them, a small frown crossing her face, her hands still on her hips, "Er, is he helping you fly the TARDIS?" she asked, glancing back down at Rory.

The Doctor wheeled back out, "Ah, detach servo-couplings two, seven, and eleven," he ordered Rory, pulling himself up from the trolley to look down through the glass flooring to the man, "Like the Hatter showed you".

Rory nodded and set to work as the Doctor straightened, moving to help the Hatter up as they both began to make their way around the console, "How come he gets to have a go?" Amy demanded, trailing behind them, "You never let me have a go".

The Hatter paused, opening her mouth to offer Amy a chance to give flying the TARDIS a go, when Rory cut across her, "Uh, Doctor, Hatter," he called hurriedly, a note of panic in his tone, "Don't. _Seriously_ ," they looked down at him, "I let her drive my car once".

The Doctor walked around to the other side of the console, while the Hatter leant against the console, curious to know just why the idea panicked Rory so much. She had taught a few of her companions to drive her own TARDIS, she had even taught Donna a little. If she could teach them, she was sure Amy would be simple enough to teach.

Amy rolled her eyes, looking down at him, "Yeah, to the end of the road," she scoffed.

"According to Amy, there was an unexpected house".

"Oh, he's jealous because I passed my test first time," she remarked, her tone teasing and with a hint of smugness in it, while the Doctor moved around the console to type something into the typewriter.

"You cheated," he accused, "You wore a skirt".

The Hatter smiled slightly, highly amused as she looked across to Amy and back down to Rory through the floor, "To bad that would never have worked for our driving tests," she said lightly, glancing over to the Doctor, "Our school uniforms alone went down to our ankles, let alone the dresses I had to wear. Perhaps that's one of the reasons engineering was my favourite subject, I got to actually wear trousers".

"Somehow I don't think looks would have worked at all with my examiner," the Doctor commented, looking over to the Time Lady as he finished typing, "She looked older then my Grandmother and had all the softness of an iceberg".

"Was that your first attempt or second?" she asked teasingly.

"You…" he stopped, waving a hand around at her, searching for the word, "You're just mean," he mock huffed, "Everyone always thinks that you're so nice, but you're not".

She laughed, stepping over to him, planting a lingering kiss on his cheek, "Nice can get boring after a while, sweetheart," she whispered to him, "And let it never be said that I am ever boring".

Amy shook her head, still looking down at Rory, "I didn't wear a skirt," she said, drawing the Time Lords attention back to her, the Doctor with slightly more difficulty as the Hatter smirked to herself.

"That would have worked too," Rory muttered, but they still all heard him.

The Time Lords both glanced at the very short denim skirt Amy was currently wearing, the Hatter feeling her eyebrows rise at just how far up her legs it went. The Doctor would have a heart attack if her skirt was that short, not that she would…well, not unless she was trying to tease him. No, an inch, or even an inch and a half above the knee was more than short enough for her taste, any further up and she would start growing slightly nervous.

"No, no, I did wear a skirt," Amy corrected herself after a moment as the Doctor moved past her, heading back around to the other side of the console, "But it was any old skirt".

"Have you ever seen Amy drive, Doctor, Hatter?" Rory called up to them.

"No!" the Doctor shouted back, hitting a switch.

"Funnily enough, no," the Hatter remarked, casting Amy a curious look, really quite enjoying herself.

"Neither did her driving examiner," Rory told them.

"Actually…" Amy said thoughtfully, not seeming to be paying very much attention to what her husband was saying as she glanced down her front, "It was this one," she looked back up to the Time Lords, waving a hand down at her skirt, "It was _this_ skirt".

The Time Lady eyed the skirt that even she wouldn't have been brave enough to wear, and she had once worn an almost completely white outfit, regardless of whether or not she was going somewhere dirty, "Humans," she murmured, sounding crossed between fondness and amusement.

Suddenly, a loud grinding sound sounded and the entire room tilted, forcing them all to grab hold of something to stop themselves from being sent flying, the Hatter feeling quite grateful that she had already been holding on to the console behind her. The lights went out, plunging them into darkness, save for a few of the emergency lights around the room that cast a blueish-green hue around the room. It was almost like when the Dream Lord had played his little games with them, only less cold. After a tense moment, the Time Lords and Amy began to straighten themselves, looking around carefully.

"What was that?" Amy asked, her voice just above a whisper as she looked across to the Time Lords.

"Rory?" the Hatter said loudly, her mind jumping to the first logical possibility for what had just happened, "Please tell me you didn't just drop one of the thermos-couplings?"

There was a short pause before, "Sorry!" Rory called back, sheepish.

"Argh!" the Doctor groaned loudly, ducking his head as the Hatter sighed heavily, closing her eyes tightly, "How did you do that?" he demanded, pushing off from the console and moving to look through the floor to Rory standing in the even darker lower deck. He waved his arms around in exasperation, "We told you, 'don't drop them!' We specifically mentioned not dropping," he exclaimed, moving back around to the console.

"It was my fault," Amy said quietly, sighing.

"Of course it wasn't your fault," the Doctor shook his head, walking past her, and around to the other side of the console.

"Uh, it kind of was her fault," Rory agreed as the Hatter looked down at him, before glancing back at Amy, frowning…when it suddenly hit her. Instantly, she felt her cheeks grow warmer.

"How could it be her fault?"

"Because it was my _skirt_ ," Amy tried to explain to him, shifting slightly on the spot as the Doctor looked back over to her, "And my _husband_ and your _glass floor_ ".

The Doctor frowned and looked down at the floor to see Rory standing right under Amy, before looking back up to the Hatter, confused. The Time Lady sighed, "Remember when I first regenerated into this body and picked out this skirt?" she reminded him, waving a hand down at her skirt as he nodded, "Well, do you also recall what happened when I came to show you my outfit and you happened to be under the console when you looked up to see me, and…"

"Yes!" the Doctor interrupted her, his voice slightly higher than normal and a blush covering his cheeks, "I...ah, get the picture, dear," he nodded, clearing his throat.

"And that is why I always wear shorts or very thick tights," she commented, hence why she also had no problem standing on the glass floor with Rory beneath her.

He sighed and shook his head, almost sympathetically as he looked through the floor to Rory, "Oh, Rory," he muttered, knowing just how distracting seeing something like that could be. There was still faint burn marks on the console after that little…ah, _incident_.

"Sorry," Rory said sheepishly.

"Anyway!" the Hatter began, raising her voice slightly louder than normal, desperately wanting to get off the subject as she moved around the console, flickering a switch, "It would seem that we've landed somewhere," she announced, pulling a lever, "The TARDIS emergency materialisation programming will have seen to that".

"Should be fine," the Doctor added, hurrying around the console to join her, quickly typing something into the typewriter. Rory walked up the steps behind them, pulling the goggles off his eyes to rest on top of his head, "Should have locked on to the safest spot available".

The Hatter grabbed another lever, pushing it down, and all the lights turned back on around the room once more. She paused as something caught her attention across the room, near the doors, and she looked up, only to find herself looking at another TARDIS parked before them. She glanced at the others, who looked just as surprised as she felt, and slowly, the four of them began to move around towards the railing overlooking the blue police box.

"Blimey," she breathed, her eyes wide. Oh, this wasn't good, this was very, very not good.

"Doctor, Hatter…" Amy said slowly, glancing quickly over to them, "What's happening?"

"Safest spot available," the Doctor commented, staring at the box, "The TARDIS has materialised inside itself".

He stepped down the stairs, moving slowly towards the box, while Amy, the Hatter, and Rory remade behind, looking over the railing at the top of the stairs, "Is that supposed to happen?" Rory asked hastily, pointing over at the TARDIS.

"What do you think?" the Hatter raised an eyebrow at him.

"No?"

"Bingo!"

The Doctor reached out as he came to a stop before the TARDIS, placing a hand on the edge of the box.

"What are you doing?" Amy frowned, watching him.

"I have absolutely no idea," he replied quietly, quickly reaching inside his pocket for the TARDIS key, unlocking the door and pushing it open, stepping through the doorway…only to walk straight out the main TARDIS doors facing them, closing the doors behind him with his back.

"Oh…okay," she blinked, staring across the room at him, "That is a bit weird".

"But fascinating," the Hatter commented, recalling a time when something similar had happened during their Third bodies that involved the Master.

The Doctor curiously opened the door behind him and stuck his hand out it, only for half of his arm to appear through the second TARDIS doors, wiggling his fingers back at them.

Rory laughed slightly, nodding, "That is actually pretty cool".

The Doctor stepped back through the second TARDISes doors, closing them behind him, "Oh, I'm glad you're entertained, Rory," he said sarcastically, making Amy and Rory jump slightly in surprise. He began to make his way back up the steps to them, "Now that we're stuck here for all eternity," he continued in the same tone, giving him a mock annoyed glare as he neared them, "At least you won't be bored".

"Sweetheart…" the Hatter sighed, shaking her head at his rather blunt way of breaking the news to them.

"Wait, what?" Amy exclaimed hurriedly, her eyes widening in alarm as she looked between the Time Lords, "We're _stuck_?"

"Well…yes," the Time Lady nodded, wincing slightly as she noticed the way that the humans faces filled with panic, "You see, the inside of the TARDIS has now joined to the outside of the TARDIS," she tried to explain to them.

"Worse than a time loop," the Doctor added, "A space loop," he shook his head, very serious, "Nothing can enter or leave this ship ever again".

The sound of the door opening sounded behind them, making them jump and turn to look back across the room at the main doors, just as another Amy walked through, "Okay, kids," she began as they stared at her, stunned, "This is where it gets complicated".

"Right…" the Hatter breathed, her eyes widening as she took in the second Amy Pond…well, Williams, standing before them, "I really wasn't expecting that, which is rather impressive. Well done, Amy…" she paused, glancing at the Amy standing beside her, "Ah, I mean the _other_ one. Sorry, confusing…"

Amy shook her head, hardly hearing a word that the brunet was saying, her eyes fixed on her second self in confusion and amazement, "Who the _hell_ are you?" she asked, eyeing her.

"I'm you," the second Amy answered, smiling slightly up at her past self as the Time Lords stepped down the stairs, nearing her curiously, "From the future".

"Tell us exactly what's happened," the Doctor ordered the second Amy.

"Well, the exterior shell of the TARDIS has drifted forwards in time," she quickly began to tell them as the Time Lords listened closely to every word she said, "If you step into the box now, you step into the control floor a tiny bit in the past," she finished with a nod, looking quite pleased with herself.

Amy frowned at her future self, "I don't understand…" she admitted, shaking her head.

"Neither do I," other Amy muttered, Rory looked between both Amy's.

"But you just said it!"

" _No_ , I'm just _repeating_ it," second Amy informed her as the Doctor, sighing slightly in exasperation, reached up to rub his forehead. The Hatter smiled at him, comfortingly patting his arm, "I'm just remembering what I heard myself saying when I was standing where you are now, and repeating it. I'm just repeating this, too," she continued with a shrug, "And this, and this…"

"Oh, I still don't understand," Amy sighed, shaking her head again.

"You still don't".

"Right, then," the Hatter cut in, trying very hard not to laugh as she turned back to the second Amy, "When exactly does Amy step inside the other TARDIS?" she questioned, sighing slightly as she exchanged a look with the Doctor, "Is crucial that we maintain the time line".

"Ah," the other Amy said, "As soon as she's slapped Rory," she glanced over to her past self.

"Okay," Amy nodded, not seeming to be at all concerned that she was going to slap her husband in the near future.

Rory looked at Amy and gave a highly unamused laugh, "No," he shook his head, turning towards the other Amy, frowning, "Why do I get slapped?"

"Because we have to stick to the established chain of events," the Doctor told him, a worried frown crossing his face, "One mistake and the whole time line could collapse," he glanced over at the other Amy, his eyes widening, "We could end up with _two_ Amy Ponds forever, and then what would you do?" he turned back to Rory.

Rory paused, seeming to consider it as he turned to look at Amy with a suggestive look, opening his mouth to say something. Amy noticed his expression and instantly guessed just what he was thinking, letting out an outraged yelp as she slapped him.

The Hatter laughed, though she did feel slightly guilty for finding it so amusing as Rory, looking slightly stunned, stumbled sideways with a hand to his cheek, "Nicely done, Amy," she remarked, moving back up the steps to join them with the Doctor, focusing on Amy, "Now, it's time for you to go through the other TARDIS".

Amy jogged down the steps towards the other police box, before pausing as she reached the doors, turning back around to look up at them, "What, and I then become her?" she asked them.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, waving a hand at her, "Go, go, go!"

She hesitated, her hand on the doorhandle as she glanced at her other self, "Do I really look like that?" she ran her eyes down her body.

"Yeah," the other Amy smirked at her, leaning against the TARDIS across from her, "Yeah, you do".

"Ooh. I'd defiantly give _you_ a driving license".

"Oh, I bet you would".

"Typical," the Hatter muttered, sighing as she shook her head at the two Amy's flirting. You would never hear one of her past selves doing that to each other, more likely bickering or making fun of each other's clothing choices.

"Oh," the Doctor groaned slightly, eyeing the two, "This is how it all ends. Pond flirting with herself. True love at last!" the Hatter nudged his side, making him pause, glancing at a rather stunned looking Rory, "Oh, sorry, Rory," he added.

Rory, who had his eyes glued on both Amy's, was practically drooling, "Absolutely no problem at all," he murmured, shaking his head.

"As if pregnancy didn't make me nauseated enough," the Time Lady said, lightly nudging Rory's side with a stern look, "Get a hold of yourself, man, this is not the time for you to be fantasying about your wife. Some of us would like to be able to leave a little bit of mystery about what goes on in private, thank you".

The Doctor cleared his throat loudly, " _Now_ , Amy," he told her, gesturing for her to hurry up and go through the doors.

Amy rolled her eyes and looked back across to her future self, "What's the first line?" she questioned.

"'Okay, kids, this is where it gets complicated,'" the other Amy replied.

"Gotcha," she nodded with a smile, and pushed the doors open, stepping through.

"So?" the other Amy turned to face them, moving to join them at the top of the stairs, "Is that it?" she asked, sounding hopeful, "Are we okay now?"

"I'm afraid not," the Hatter shook her head, sighing, "We're still quite trapped…" she trailed off, catching sight of something else across the room from her.

They all turned in time to see the main TARDIS doors open and another Amy and Rory ran into the room, closing the doors behind them.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor demanded, frowning at the couple, while their Amy and Rory stared at their future selves in shock.

"The Hatter told us to get into the police box," other Rory informed them, gesturing to the Time Lady, who raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Well, from your point of view you're about to tell us to get into the police box," he corrected as she simply nodded, finding it surprisingly easy to keep track of what he was trying to say, "From our point of view you just told us to get into the police box, which is why we got into the police box, which is why we're here…"

"Yes, thank you, Rory," the Hatter interrupted him, smiling, "I think we get it".

Rory blinked at his future self, "Do I have to remember all that?" he frowned slightly, pointing at his other self.

The other Rory simply shrugged, "Uh, it sort of just happens".

"Hi," Amy smiled, wiggling her fingers in a little flirty wave to her future self.

"Hi," the other Amy grinned back at her, returning her flirty wave.

"Ladies, please!" the Hatter said loudly, rolling her eyes, caught between exasperation and amusement at their antics, "Stop flirting with yourselves, it's starting to frighten me. Now, you two…" she turned and pointed at her Amy and Rory, lightly pushing them down the stairs, "Get in the police box as fast as you can, please".

Amy and Rory hurried down the stairs, Amy looking slightly disgruntled as she and Rory disappeared into the other TARDIS.

"So, what now?" other Amy asked, taking a step forward.

"You two, stay where you are!" the Doctor told them quickly, holding a hand up towards them, making both Amy and Rory freeze. He and the Hatter hurried over to the console, pulling levers and hitting buttons.

Rory frowned at he watched them work, "What are you doing?"

"We're setting up a controlled temporal implosion," the Hatter explained, talking fast as she continued working at the controls, "It's the only way for us to reset the TARDIS and break the loop, but…" she trailed off with a loud sigh, shaking her head.

"But unless we can find exactly the right lever to control the implosion…" the Doctor continued, pausing as he took a deep breath and looked back over to the humans, "We're all going to die".

"You don't know which lever?" Amy asked, incredulous, "Even you, Hatter?"

"Well, I can't know _everything_ ," the Time Lady defended herself, shifting slightly on the spot, "Sometimes even I forget things. _Nine centuries_ , it's a very long time, Amy".

"We might not know," the Doctor said, a smile crossing his face, "But we're about to find out".

The main doors open behind the human couple, making Amy jump in surprise as another Doctor and Hatter entered the room, hand in hand, and hurried past the couple, moving further into the room.

"The wibbly lever!" the two Time Lords cried to their past selves, grinning at them as they turned and high fived each other.

"The wibbly lever!" the Doctor cheered, pointing at them, "Thank you!"

The Hatter hurried back over to the console and grabbed the correct lever, not even bothering to correct what they had called it as she pulled it down and back up again, almost at once. The Doctor grabbed her hand and they both raced down the steps, and over to the second TARDIS, dashing through the doors. The sound of the TARDIS engine echoed through the room as the second TARDIS began to dematerialise, before disappearing completely.

The Time Lady grinned broadly as she watched the TARDIS fade before her eyes, one hand holding her hat in place as the wind slowly died down, "And we are now, officially, back in normal flight," she announced happily, clapping her hands together in her excitement to be finally over the space loop.

The Doctor smiled at her and kissed her cheek, before moving back to where Amy and Rory were still standing by the doors, "The TARDIS is no longer inside itself," he agreed, squeezing himself between the couple to drape his arms around their shoulders, "The localised time field is no longer about to implode and rip a hole in in all causality. But, just in case…" he paused and looked across to Amy, sighing, "Pond, put some trousers on".

And with that, he dropped his arms from their shoulders and walked away, wrapping his arms around the Hatter's waist as they went.

 _ **I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter, my laptop died on me suddenly the week before last, (thankfully, I didn't lose anything), so I had to wait for a week before my new one arrived, and my new laptop doesn't have Word on it yet. I've only managed to get Word today that will last for the next month, but hopefully I'll have a permeant copy well before then. So updates might be a little late until that's all sorted out. Also, I'm still trying to get used to the different keyboard, so I apologise for any mistakes you might notice. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest review:**_

 _ **Cupcake:**_ _ **I'm so sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for the review :)**_


	6. Chapter 6 Curse of the Black Spot, Part1

_**The Curse of the Black Spot, Part 1**_

The Hatter was bent slightly as she followed closely behind the Doctor, holding his hand while her other hand was holding her hat, having had to remove it with the low wooden ceiling. It was quite a tight squeeze, but somehow the Time Lords had managed to safely land the TARDIS below deck of a 17th century ship that they had received a distress call from, which was very odd considering it was during a period in Earth's history well before such a technology should even be possible. And yet, somehow a signal had been sent out and managed to reach them, so they had decided to investigate. Besides, they had never been able to refuse a distress call.

The TARDIS doors opened again and Amy stepped out, almost running straight into the Time Lady's back with how narrow the space was, most of the space filled with boxes and other pieces of cargo, "Sorry," she whispered, putting an apologetic hand on the Hatter's shoulder as she wobbled slightly.

"Its fine," the Hatter murmured back, trying to crane her neck slightly, just able to make out a shadowed outline of Amy's face in the dim lighting, "I feel I ought to apologise, I left the Doctor to the parking".

"There's not a lot of places to park on a ship," the Doctor defended himself in a quiet voice, just as Rory managed to squeeze himself out of the TARDIS and behind Amy.

"We're shark bait…" a man's voice sounded from above them, making them all freeze and slowly look up to see very faint moonlight through small holes on a hatch above them, "Every single one of us," he continued grimly, "Stuck on the ocean, waiting".

"Until the wind changes…" a second male voice agreed.

The four of them moved closer to the hatch, stepping up onto a box, the Doctor managing to whack the top of his head against the grating twice, wincing. The Hatter quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to stop him from yelping in pain, giving him a long look as she meet his watering eyes, slowly lowering her hand from his mouth when he gave her a nod, assuring her that he wasn't going to make a sound.

"What's that?" the second man demanded, and the sound of something metal clicking followed. A gun, no doubt.

"It's the creature," the first man gasped, sounding startled, "It's returned!"

Footsteps neared above them as it seemed that the crew had gathered around the hatch. The Doctor reached up and gave the grating a hard shove, managing to burst it open to reveal four very startled men standing above them, jolting back from them slightly as one of the older looking men aimed an old pistol at them. Amy and Rory nervously eyed the gun, while the Time Lords hardly seemed to notice it, the Doctor grinned broadly up at the men, though he did hold the Hatter's hand a little tighter.

"Yo ho ho!" he greeted them brightly, but the men simply stared at them. His smile dimmed slightly, glancing at the Hatter, almost seeming to be embarrassed, "Or does nobody actually say that?"

The Hatter gave him an indulgent smile, patting his arm, "Never mind, sweetheart. At least they have the cool pirate hats".

…

As it seemed to happen so often to them, the Time Lords, Amy, and Rory soon found themselves being pulled up onto the deck and then forced across to the front of the ship, and into the Captain's quarters. The older man, who had first held them at gun point, turned out to be the Captain of the ship and he eyed the four of them carefully as he stood before them, leaning against a long walking stick with another man beside him, while the rest of his crew stood behind the four of them, blocking the door.

"We made _no_ signal," the Captain frowned at them after the Time Lords had tried to explain to him that that was why they were there.

"Our sensors picked you up," the Doctor told him, "Ship in distress".

He simply looked even more confused, "Sensors?" he repeated.

"Yes…"

"Ah, sweetheart," the Hatter cut in, nudging the Doctor's side, drawing his attention to her, "Need I remind you that this is the 17th century, so you might want to adjust your wording".

"Oh," he blinked in realisation, glancing back to the Captain, who was still eyeing them with a confused expression, "Right, yes," he nodded to her, giving her a small smile, "Thank you, dear," he turned back to the Captain, trying again, "Our ship automatically…er…" he paused, searching for the right word.

"Noticed," the Time Lady supplied helpfully.

"Yes!" he clicked his fingers in her direction, turning back to the Captain, "Noticed-ish…that your ship was having some bother".

"That big blue crate?" the Captain asked with a frown, nodding his head towards the door.

The Hatter nodded and Doctor smiled, clicking his fingers, before pointing at him.

"That is more magic, Captain Avery," the man beside the Captain said, eyeing the four of them suspiciously, "They're spirits!" he accused, pointing the hat in his hands at them, making the Hatter sigh tiredly. Humans and their love for spirits and daemons, always jumping to magic when they didn't understand something. It never ceased to amuse and exasperate her. The man glanced at the Captain, "How else would they have found their way below deck?"

"I suppose that trying to tell you that it was multidimensional engineering would be of little use," the Hatter commented with another sigh, shrugging slightly, "Given your trouble understanding 'senses,' there's not a chance that you're going to understand that…ah, no offence," she added quickly, flashing them an apologetic smile as she realised that she probably sounded quite rude.

"Look!" the Doctor began, giving them a cheerful smile, "I'm the Doctor and this is my wife, the Hatter…" he held out a hand towards the Hatter beside him, who happily waved back to the men with her own bright smile, "This is Amy," he pointed across the Time Lady to Amy, who smiled slightly nervously, "Rory…" he crossed his arm across his chest to point at Rory, who gave the pirates an awkward wave, "We're sailors!" he exclaimed, stepping forward to playfully punch Avery's shoulder, before turning his back on him to face the rest of the crew, "Same as you!" he tried to give them a throaty cheer.

The Hatter grabbed his arm, her eyes fixed on something behind his back, "Ah, Doctor," she said sharply, eyeing the gun that Avery was pointing at the back of the Doctor's head with a rather dangerous expression.

He slowly turned back around, his smile dimming as he found the gun now aimed right at his forehead, grabbing the Time Lady's hand beside him, "Except for the gun thing…" he remarked hastily, before frowning as he noticed the man's beard, "Or the beady-ness".

"You are not growing another beard," the Time Lady said firmly, just to make sure he didn't get any ideas about growing a beard. Knowing him, he would start to consider them 'cool' after this little adventure and decide to grow one…well, until he would have to decide whether the beard was really worth missing out on getting to kiss her ever again, that is. He would crumble within seconds.

"You're stowaways!" Avery accused, not lowering his gun for a moment as he cast his eyes over the four strangers, "Only explanation".

"Well, perhaps the most logical explanation, yes," the brunet muttered, unable to resist, "But by no means the _only_ one…." she trailed off as the Doctor squeezed her hand, giving her a quick look, practically begging her to stop talking now before she caught Avery's attention again.

"Eight days, we've been stranded here, becalmed," the man continued, not seeming to have heard the Hatter, much to the Doctor's relief. It was bad enough that there was a gun being aimed in their direction, let alone for one of the pirates to end up taking offense at something that the Time Lady might have said, no matter how innocently or polite it might have intended to be. Sometimes, he really did worry that she had spent too much time around him and that some of his habits that usually ended up getting them into trouble had rubbed off onto her. Avery narrowed his eyes at them, "You must have stowed away before we sailed".

"Now what do we do with 'em?" the man standing beside the captain asked, still eyeing the four carefully.

Avery smiled very slightly, though it wasn't a very comforting smile, the gun still pointed straight at the Doctor's forehead, "Oh, I think they deserve our hospitality," he commented lightly.

The Doctor returned the smile, completely oblivious as the Hatter swallowed nervously. Oh, this really wasn't going to be very good, was it?

…

Just as the Hatter had feared, she soon found herself being grabbed from behind by one of the pirates and dragged out back onto the deck of the ship, along with Amy, Rory, and the Doctor. She winced slightly at the rather tight grip that the pirate holding her had on her wrists, but she resisted against the strong urge to struggle, watching worriedly as the Doctor was forced up onto the plank as the rest of the crew stood around it, laughing as he stumbled very slightly on the wood.

"Why does this always happen to us?" the Time Lady moaned, more to herself then to Amy and Rory, who were both being restrained by two other pirates beside her as she shook her head wearily.

"I suppose that laughing like that is in the job description," the Doctor remarked as he carefully moved to stand at the end of the plank, the wood squeaking slightly under his weight, "'Can you do the laugh?'" he quickly glanced at his watch, "Check. Grab yourself a parrot," he raised his arms above his head, looking as if he was about to dive into the black, still water beneath him, "Welcome aboard," he finished, and began to lightly bounce on the plank, making the wood bend and squeak even more under his weight.

Amy glanced at the Hatter, hoping she might have some clever plan up her sleeve, but she was surprised to find that the Time Lady actually seemed to be quite calm and unconcerned by the scene unfolding before them; she wasn't even struggling against the man holding her, which really wasn't like her at all. If anything, she seemed more resigned, but it was her lack of worry about the Doctor being about to dive into the shark infested waters that really shocked her. That had to be a good thing, though, right? Surely that had to mean that the Time Lady had a plan that would save him?

"Stocks are low," Avery informed him, the laughter fading, "Only one barrel of water remains," he fixed him with a very serious look, "We don't need four bellies to fill," he turned around and looked at the men holding the Hatter and Amy, "Take the doxies below to the galley…" he threw the Hatter a look, it having been rather hard not to notice her stomach, "Be careful with that one".

"Hey!" Rory began, trying to struggle against his own captive to get to Amy.

"No, wait…" the Doctor called hurriedly, his eyes widening in alarm as he took a step back towards the ship, his eyes on the Hatter, but he didn't get very far before one of the pirates shoved him back. He stumbled and almost lost his balance, but managed to right himself before he could topple over the edge of the narrow plank and into the water below.

The Hatter meet his eyes and shook her head, giving him a small, reassuring smile as she mouthed, 'We'll be fine, sweetheart'. The grip on her wrists tightened as the men holding her and Amy began to drag them away across the deck, the brunet trying with everything she had not to struggle against her captive, knowing it would do little use.

"…set them to work," Avery went on, turning his back on the women as he looked back to Rory and the Doctor, "They won't need much feeding".

"Rory?" Amy shouted back over to them, quickly walking backwards as the pirates _helpfully_ escorted her and the Time Lady further away from them, "A little help!"

"Yeah, hey!" Rory nodded, and looked over across to Avery, catching his attention, "Listen, right," he gave him a very serious look, his voice firm, "She's not a doxy…."

"I didn't mean just tell him off!" she sighed, rolling her eyes as she struggled against the pirate holding her, the Hatter smiled very slightly, amused, "Thanks anyway," she huffed as the pirate holding her grabbed her head to stop her from hitting her head against the doorway of the hatch, and forced her below decks.

"And feel no need to defend my honour, Rory!" the Hatter added, flashing him a quick smile to show him that she wasn't really offended. Before she was forced to follow after Amy down to the lower deck, she sent the Doctor a wink; half wishing she could blow him a playful kiss as she disappeared out of view, somehow managing to keep her hat on despite the low doorway.

Avery ignored them as he focused back on the Doctor, who struggled for a moment to pull his gaze off from the hatch the Hatter and Amy had disappeared through, his hearts racing madly in his chest with worry for both women, "If you're lucky you'll drown before the sharks can take a bite," the Captain said to him, seeming to be not the slightest bit concerned.

The Doctor looked back down over the edge of the plank, eyeing the dangerously black water below with a spark of wariness. Judging by the Hatter's little wink, he could only assume that she must be up to something, he just very much hoped that whatever it was, it wouldn't end up getting both her and Amy into even more danger, "If this is just because I'm a captain too, you know, you shouldn't feel threatened," he rambled slightly, just trying to buy the Hatter more time to do whatever she needed to do, "Your ship is much bigger than mine. And I don't have the cool boots. Or a hat, even," he paused, considering it, "The wife, does though. She used to have the cool boots, too, but she gave them up when she became a brunet…" he trailed off as he heard something metal click behind him.

Avery, having grown tired of listening to the Doctor's blabbering on, had pulled his gun out of its holster and aimed it at the other man's head, "Time to go," he told him.

He sighed slightly and shuffled his feet closer to the end of the plank, "A bit more laughter, guys!" he encouraged, waving his hand at the crew.

The crew began laughing.

…. **Meanwhile** …..…..…..

The Hatter inwardly cursed as she found herself standing ankle deep in water as she stepped down from the last rung on the ladder, her shoes and bottom of her navy blue tights instantly soaking through, much to her discomfort and annoyance. She had always hated having wet shoes and socks, or tights, in this case. She shook her head and took a quick look around the darkened space that was filled with more creates and boxes, most having been pushed up against the walls.

Amy was waiting for her as she climbed down the ladder, "Please tell me you have a plan," she said at once, looking at the brunet hopefully.

"Of course I have a plan," she assured her, her eyes still roaming around as she sloshed through the water to take a closer look at some of the creates. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder to her, "Though, I fear you might not like what it is…ah!" she exclaimed suddenly, breaking into a broad grin as she flipped open the lid of one of the box's to reveal several cutlasses inside it. She grabbed one and expertly twirled it in her hand, as if she had handled a cutlasses her entire life, before she held the handle out to Amy, "This will do nicely," she remarked happily.

Amy stared from her to the offered sward, her eyes widening slightly, "You can't be serious".

"Well, usually, no, but I do have my moments".

"Hatter, I can't use a sword!" she hissed, growing slightly annoyed with how flippant the Time Lady was being.

"It's not a sword, it's called a cutlass," the Time Lady corrected her lightly, and gave the offered sward a little wobble in Amy's direction, giving her a small, comforting smile, "Just take it, please".

Reluctantly, Amy took the handle, and eyed the sharp blade carefully as the Hatter was already moving away to where someone had left a coat and tricorne hat hanging on an old nail on a wood pillar. The Time Lady grabbed the hat and coat, pausing for a moment to give the hat an almost longing look, before sighing and shaking her head, making her way back over to Amy.

"Put these on, as well," she instructed her, carefully handing her the coat and hat, "Oh, and please do be mindful of the hat. I would quite like to keep it when we leave; it's a far better souvenir then the time I accidently brought home a miniature homicidal robot after I mistakenly took it to be a nice paperweight," she sighed again, shaking her head as remembered the adventure in question, "Ever since then, I've been careful just what I take home with me".

Amy gave the coat a sniff, grimacing slightly at the strong smell of seaweed that the rough fabric smelt of, but she trusted the Hatter enough to know that she wouldn't be getting her to dress up for no reason, so she carefully slipped the coat and hat on, somehow managing not to cut herself on the cutlass as she swapped it from hand to hand a she did so, "Hatter," she cut in, raising her voice slightly as the Time Lady looked back to her, "Mind explaining what the plan is?"

The Hatter flashed her a bright smile, her hazel green eyes twinkling in the dull light, "We need to give the pirates a distraction," she began to explain to her, "All you will need to do is go up there and wave the cutlass around a bit while looking as threateningly as you can, get the pirates to drop their weapons, and save the Doctor and Rory from going for a midnight dip".

"You want me to…what, hold them at sward point?" she gaped at her, wondering, not for the first time, if the Hatter had finally lost her mind completely.

"Well, _cutlass_ point, but you have the right idea," she nodded, still smiling at her.

"Have you forgotten about the fact that we're dealing with real, proper pirates and that I don't know how to use a sword…cutlass thing?"

She sighed heavily, her smile fading as she suddenly looked so much older than her youthful face alluded to, "I admit that there are some very large flaws in the plan," she agreed tiredly, "But there's no other choice and believe me, if I could come up with any other way to save the Doctor and Rory, then I would take it in a heartbeat rather than risk your life like this, but there is none. I don't take this lightly, Amy, no matter what it might seem, and I would happily do it myself if I could but I no longer have that luxury," her hand came to rest on her stomach to further her point and Amy's face softened slightly. She reached out and took the red heads free hand, looking at her very seriously, "Amy, listen to me, I promise you that I won't allow you to come to any harm".

"Can you _really_ promise something like that?" Amy raised her eyebrows at her, knowing perfectly well that the Time Lady really couldn't make a promise like that and expect to keep it.

She shrugged slightly, raising her dripping wet foot to lightly skim the end of her shoe over the water's surface, making it ripple, "To late to take it back now," she replied, her tone light as she watched the water, "Once I make a promise, I can't take it back, I have to live up to it".

Amy looked at her for a long moment before nodding, knowing that the Hatter was right. They needed to do something to save the Doctor and Rory, and right now she was the only one capable of doing so, "Alright, I'll do it," she agreed, making the Hatter's head snap up with a large smile spreading across her face, "But I still don't know how to use this thing".

"Not to worry, I'll give you a quick, basic run through," the Time Lady told her cheerfully, "I've always been rather good at a sword, the Doctor's better, mind you. Still, I'm sure I can give you a few simple tips".

….

The Doctor leaned forward slightly over the plank, desperately trying to think of something else that he could do to avoid having to go for a little swim, when a sudden thought occurred to him. He frowned slightly and glanced back over his shoulder to the others, ignoring the gun aimed at him by Avery for the moment, "Where are the rest of the crew?" he asked, curious as Avery gave him a sharp look, "This is a big ship," he continued, eyeing the crew thoughtfully, "Big for five of you," he turned back around to face the end of the plank, "I suppose the rest of them are hiding some place, and they're going to jump out and shout, 'boo!'"

"Boo!" a shout rang out from across the other side of the ship.

The men gasped and whirled around to find the Hatter and Amy standing before them, Amy in her borrowed coat and hat, holding the cutlass out at Avery's face, while the Time Lady calmly stood beside her with a second cutless, her eyes fixed on the Captain.

"Be a dear and give me the gun, _now_ ," the Hatter ordered Avery, her voice firm as she held out her hand, wiggling her fingers at him. Even the Doctor felt like wincing, knowing that tone very well and just how serious it meant she was. Avery, eyeing the cutlass in Amy's hand, carefully placed the gun in the brunet's hand and moved back again, his hands open and raised very slightly as the Doctor tried very hard not to notice the why his hearts rate speed up at the image of a deadly serious Hatter holding a gun and sword. She gave the captain a quick nod, closing her fingers around the gun's handle as she turned it on him. She had no intention using it or the sword, but she made sure she looked like she did, "Thank you".

"The rest of you," Amy glanced over to the other crew members, not lowering her sword from Avery, "On your knees".

"Amy, Hatter," the Doctor called, concerned, looking quickly between the two women, trying hard to ignore the sight of the Hatter holding the weapons, "What are you doing?"

"Just rescuing a couple of damsels," the Hatter replied brightly, winking at him and Rory, "Someone has to, sweetheart".

"Put down the sword," Avery told Amy, eyeing the weapon carefully, looking almost fearful, "A sword could kill us all, girl".

"Yeah, thanks," Amy rolled her eyes, sarcastic, "That's actually why I'm pointing it at _you_ ," she moved the sword closer to his face, making him flitch back.

Suddenly, one of the other crewmen lunged towards Amy with a shout, hitting a wooden stick against Amy's sward as she gasped in surprise, backing back. The Hatter ducked out of the way, trying to keep Amy and the rest of the crew in sight as Amy was forced back across the deck, managing to defend herself against the attack without letting a single blow hit her.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, his eyes widening as he watched, "Hang on!" he ran back down the plank and jumped down onto the ship's deck, but Avery was there to grab him and hold him back.

One of the pirates lunged at the Hatter with the end of a mop, who, with surprising ease, deflected his attempted blow with a swing of her own sword, sending the mop flying out of the man's hand to clatter onto the deck. She instantly raised the gun and aimed it straight at the man's forehead, making him stop short and raise his hands slowly, her hearts racing madly in her chest, "I wouldn't try that again, if I was you," she warned him, her voice very calm and steady, despite how she was feeling inside.

There was a small lull in Amy's fight and she took advantage of it, remembering what the Hatter had told her about not standing still for a moment and that if there was a chance to take the upper hand in the fight, then she should take it. She suddenly lunged at the pirate, forcing him back towards the rest of the crew as she pointed her sword at his chest, advancing on him. She turned and pointed her sword at another man, making him jump back and gasp in fright.

The Hatter, still making sure to keep her gun trained on the pirate that had tried to attack, took the chance to glance over at Amy, noticing with a spark of curiosity that the rest of the crew seemed to be taking Amy far more seriously then she would have ever expected them to. It was obvious that Amy wasn't very skilled with a sword and yet, the crew still treated her as if she was an expert fighter. She understood their concerns about getting sliced by the sword when they only had sticks to defend themselves, but even still, they didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight, not when it was already clear that at least one of the pirates was a skilled swordsman. Something more was going on, something they hadn't noticed yet, she was sure of it.

Amy grinned smugly as she mockingly waved her sword at another pirate, making the man flitch away from the sword, despite the fact that it was nowhere near him. She backed away from the cowering men and began to swing the sword back and forth, practically challenging the men to come at her, clearly enjoying herself as one of the men advanced towards her suddenly. She yelped slightly in surprise, quickly bringing her sword back up to defend herself as Rory struggled against the pirate still holding him back, trying to get to his wife. She advanced on the man, swinging her sword at his stick as the man seemed to be trying to duck away from her blows, almost fearful of them. She swung the sword at his legs and he jumped the blade.

"Kick him!" the Hatter shouted to her, unable to quite believe that she was actually encouraging Amy to be violent. And this was just another reason for why it was never a good idea for her to watch sports, she ended up becoming far too involved and her natural competitive streak tended to come out. It was actually quite scary.

Amy did just that, kicking the man's thigh and sending him crashing onto his knee with a cry of pain, before she shoved his shoulder and sent him tumbling onto the ground by his fellow crewmen. Another pirate took after her, swinging the end of heavy rope around as Amy run back down the deck, jumping up onto a barrel and grabbing a rope that was hanging from one of the ship's sails. She swung out on the rope as the Hatter's eyes widened slightly in worry that Amy might accidently fall and the Doctor covered his eyes, unable to watch. As Amy swung across the deck on the rope, she slashed her sword at the pirate who had tried to hit her with the rope, making the man cry out as if he had been severely wounded as Amy came to land on top of another barrel by the Hatter.

The Time Lady tossed the gun onto the floor behind her, along with her own sword and held up a hand to grab the back of Amy's borrowed jacket as she wobbled slightly on her landing, helping to steady her as Amy turned back around on the barrel to look back over to the pirate she had cut to see him staring down at his hand, anguished. The rest of the crew were staring at him, too, their eyes wide in horror.

The man looked back up to her, the rope he had used now forgotten on the floor, "You have killed me," he breathed, cradling his hand.

"No way," Amy scoffed as the Hatter frowned, taking in the crew's expression's. There it was again, that feeling that they were missing something, "It's just a cut," she continued as the man looked back down his open palm, a look of terror crossing his face, "What kind of rubbish pirates are you?"

"One drop," Avery told her, glaring up at Amy, still not releasing the Doctor, who was trying to get to the Hatter, "That's all it takes. One drop of blood and she'll rise out of the ocean".

"Come on!" she shook her head at him, rolling her eyes as the Hatter looked back and forth between Amy and the Captain, her frown deepening, "I barley even scratched him," she looked back over to the rest of the crew, "What are you all in such a huff about?"

Another man angrily stormed up to her and the Hatter tensed, but before the man could take another step, Amy had swung herself off the top of the barrel and moved to slash her sword at the man, but he was ready for her and he managed to grab her legs, forcefully pulling her off the rope. She yelped and dropped the sword, Rory ran forward to grab it before it hit the ground, but he accidently grabbed the blade and it cut his hand. He cried out in pain, dropping the sword to clatter on the ground at his feet as he cradled his hand to his chest.

The Hatter moved to try and see if he was okay, but she was grabbed from behind before she could get far by the pirate she had previously been holding at gunpoint, while Amy and Rory where both restrained, too. She struggled against her captive, trying to stomp on the man's feet in a desperate attempt to be freed, but the man's boots were too thick for her to make any difference, "Let go of me!" she demanded, deciding to try and play on their apparent belief in superstition, "Don't you know it's bad luck to hold a pregnant women against her will?"

The Doctor's own struggle against Avery became stronger, wishing he could shove the pirate holding the Time Lady away from her and pull her into his arms, instead, hating to see her being held against her will. And it certainly wouldn't be helping her blood pressure.

Rory looked down at his hand and stopped suddenly, blinking as he looked back up to the Time Lords, "Er, Doctor, Hatter," he said hurriedly, holding his open palm up and pointing at a large black spot on his palm that looked as if someone had drawn it in black marker, "What's…what's happening to me?" he asked, alarmed.

"How very curious and concerning…" the Hatter muttered thoughtfully as the pirate, who had been holding her, finally let her go. She stepped closer to Rory, eyeing the mark.

"She can smell the blood on your skin," Avery informed Rory, releasing the Doctor and pointing a gloved hand at Rory, looking very serious. The Doctor moved to the Hatter's side at once, taking her hand, "She's marked you for death," he finished grimly.

Rory frowned t him and tapped his ear, sure he must have misheard, "She?"

"A demon, out there in the ocean".

"Okay!" the Doctor broke into a broad smile, looking quite excited, despite the sombre mood of the rest of the group, "Groovy!" he clapped his hands together, looking at the Hatter, "So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in," he held up his hand to the Hatter to high five, which she did half heartedly, still eyeing Rory with a concerned expression. They both moved closer to Rory as the Doctor looked down at the black spot on his palm, examining it closely for a moment "Very efficient," he went on in the same tone, looking back up to Rory's pale face, "I mean, if something's going to kill you, it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you," he lightly pattered Rory's cheek as Amy shook her head at him. He looked back to the Time Lady, "What do you think, dear?"

"Good way for you to make sure you have everything in order," the Hatter nodded, taking Rory's hand and lightly touching the spot, but if felt like ordinary skin. She was even considering doing the Mum thing and trying to see if it would rub off with a bit of water, though she doubted it and she somehow didn't think Rory would really enjoy it if she tried to rub it off with a bit of her own saliva.

Suddenly, a beautiful, ethereal singing started to echo around them from out of the darkness, making them all look up, startled. Fear filled the pirate's faces as they began to look around, the man still holding Amy loosening his grip on her in fear.

"Quickly now, block out the sound!" the pirate that Amy had cut said urgently, covering his ears, his eyes wide with fear and horror.

"What?" Rory asked, confused as he looked back to the man.

"The creature," Avery breathed, backing away from the side of the ship and closer to the rest of his crew, his eyes fixed on the water, "She charms all her victims with that song".

"Oh, great!" Rory exclaimed sarcastically as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, tightening their hold on each other's hands as their eyes began roaming around, trying to find the source of the noise, "So put my fingers in my ears. That's your plan?" he scoffed incredulously, and tapped the Doctor's shoulder, "Doctor, Hatter, come on, let's go…" the Time Lords looked back to him, growing concerned as he stumbled back slightly, his eyes growing strangely glazed and unfocused, "Let's get back to the, er…" he stuttered as the Hatter reached out to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to try and steady him

"Are you feeling okay, Rory?" the Time Lady eyed him worriedly, her grip on his shoulder growing tighter as he swayed unsteadily on his feet, an odd little goofy smile crossing his face. She frowned as she noticed that the pirate that Amy had cut seemed to be going through a similar occurrence, a dopy expression crossing the other man's face.

"Oh….back to the, er…" he broke off into an almost hysterical giggle. It was almost as if he was drunk, but the way his eyes looked unfocused and glazed made it seem more like he had been drugged with something.

"The music," one of the crewmen said fearfully, moving to stand beside Avery as they watched Rory and the afflicted pirate, "It's working on him. Look".

"You!" Rory suddenly shouted, drunkenly turning around to face Amy, grabbing the rope hanging down between them and leaning on it, "Are so _beautiful_!" he fell forward a bit on the rope, staring up at Amy's face as if he had never seen her before.

Amy blinked at him, her cheeks reddening slightly, "What?" she leaned back from him.

"Oh, no, I love your getup!" he stumbled off the rope and stepped even closer to her, the Time Lords could only watch him, completely confused as they exchanged a quick look, wondering whether they ought to intervene, "That's great," he continued drunkenly, moving back from her to take a closer look at her outfit, "You should dress as a pirate more often," he broke into another broad, dopy smile, placing a hand on her shoulder as Amy simply stared at him, baffled, "Hey, hey, cuddle me, shipmate," he moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"Rory, stop," Amy told him sternly, trying to shove his hands off her, really not in the mood to be hugged in front of a bunch of pirates when there was clearly something very wrong with Rory.

The Hatter frowned deeply, taking a step closer to him, "Rory, perhaps…" she began, her voice gentle and calming, but he cut across her.

"Everything is totally brilliant, isn't it?" he continued grinning broadly, his smile growing more manic, completely focused on Amy, "Look at these brilliant pirates. Look at their brilliant beards," he lowered his voice, as if it was a big secret, and pointed his finger at one of the men standing close by who was eyeing the deranged man carefully, before his eyes widened in realisation, "I'd like a beard," he said suddenly, stumbling back from Amy, falling against the other afflicted pirate's chest, all the while the Doctor and the Hatter just stared at him, half-stunned by what they were witnessing, "I'm going to grow a beard!" Rory whispered loudly to the pirate, looking like an excited child.

"You're not," Amy said firmly, looking at her husband very worriedly and confused by what was going on with him.

Avery glanced back to the Time Lords, "The music turns them into fools," he informed them grimly, turning back to watch the giggling men still falling all over each other.

"It can't be a drug in the air," the Hatter muttered, more to the Doctor then to the others as she eyed the men thoughtfully, her concern for their welfare growing stronger the longer their strange behaviour went on, "Something about that black spot, perhaps it induces a chemical reaction into the skin when triggered by the music," her eyes brightened with curiosity just thinking about it, several different theories of how it might work crossing her mind as she considered it, "I would love to know how that works".

The Doctor smiled at her, enjoying seeing the fascinated look on her face, "Ever the academic," he commented fondly.

She managed to pull her eyes off the still hysterically giggling men to look at him, returning the smile with a bright one of her own, "You can take the over achieving girl out of the Academy, but you can't take the Academy out of the girl," she paused, considering what she had just said, "Well, most of the Academy, anyway".

"Oh, my God!" Amy gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at something behind the Time Lords.

They all turned around quickly to see a greenish-blue light glowing beneath the surface of the water off the side of the ship, the light drifting up from it as the ethereal singing grew louder. The Doctor and the Hatter took each other's hands again, just in case they needed to move fast, watching the light curiously. Rory and the afflicted pirate stopped giggling with their eyes glued on the light, completely memorised by it as they leaned forward slightly, just as a figure suddenly flew up through the light, not even breaking the surface of the water as it flew up into the air high above them, singing. It was a woman, a young woman with long, flowing dark hair and wearing a white gown, glowing in the same strange light as the water had.

"Blimey…" the Hatter breathed, watching the rather beautiful figure as she drifted back down to land before them on the deck of the ship a short distance away, stilling signing her rather hypertonic melody. She could see now why the crew would have mistaken the women as some sort of spirit, the way the woman seemed to move so gracefully and the glowing light that surrounded her really did look as if she was a ghost. Luckily, the Hatter didn't believe in ghosts, at least not ghost's that didn't have a scientific explanation behind them, and she quickly set to work trying to come up with different theories of just what the woman could be.

The afflicted pirate and Rory immediately started trying to get to the figure as she reached out a hand towards them. They began reaching out their hands, too, but Amy held Rory back as he continued to struggle against her, his eyes fixed on the women, transfixed. The pirate pushed past the Doctor, who was staring at the women to fascinated to even notice the pirate walking drunkenly towards the women, a smile plastid across his face.

The Hatter frowned slightly and tried to grab at the man's arm to stop him, not entirely sure that it would be a good idea to touch the strange figure, but she reacted to slowly and her fingertips just brushed against his sleeve as he walked further away from them, his hand outstretched…but when his fingers touched the woman's, he suddenly bust into a cloud of ash, disintegrating right before their very eyes.

The Time Lady gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth in horror as the rest of the crew seemed to come back to their senses, jerking back in alarm. The Doctor and Amy jumped in shock, the Doctor instinctually pushing the Hatter behind him, who was too horrified by what she had just witnessed to even notice. In fact, the only one who didn't seem to react at all was Rory, who was still struggling against Amy's firm hold on him, trying to get to the woman. He finally seemed to overpower Amy and began to stumble towards the woman, breathlessly giggling as Amy desperately tried to hold him back, only to be pulled right along with her husband as she clung to his arms.

Rory pushed past the Doctor and Hatter, "I have to touch her," he said frantically, hardly seeming to even notice his wife clinging to his arms, "I have to touch her!"

Amy managed to push him off his path and away from the woman, glaring at her as Rory fell on the ground with a wail, "Sorry, but he's spoken for," she snapped at her.

The woman hissed at her furiously and the light surrounding her turned bright red, just as she released a high pressure burst of energy that sent Amy flying backwards with a startled yelp, crash landing with a grunt a short distance behind them on the wooden floor.

"Amy!" the Time Lords cried, running to her side, the Doctor moving to help her, "Amy!"

The Hatter threw a look back over her shoulder to see that the red glow had died down, the greenish-blue light returning as the woman calmed once more, "Time to retreat," she said, eyeing the figure more carefully now, "Everyone into the hold!" she raised her voice, hurrying over to grab Rory's arm as he started trying to reach out to the woman.

The crew all began scrambling to get below deck as the Doctor quickly helped Amy up, pushing her along after the crew as he looked over to see the Hatter struggling to tug on Rory's arm. He ran over to them, grabbing Rory tightly around his middling and pinning his arms to his side as he began to drag him away, the Hatter giving him a grateful look as she dashed after the others. She had been worried about just how much force she could use to pull Rory away from the woman without risking injuring herself, but thankfully the Doctor was far stronger than his lanky frame looked.

"Hey!" Rory called angrily as he was pulled away from the figure, trying to dig his heels into the floor, but it was useless, "Wait…!" he tried, struggling against the Doctor's hold.

The three of them made it over to the entrance to the hold, the Time Lady climbing down the ladder first, not caring in the slightest about the fact she was wearing a skirt as she landed with a splash in the ankle deep water at the bottom. The Doctor and Rory followed close behind her, and the Doctor instantly took her hand and began to look around, splashing through the water as they carefully avoided the creates and boxes scattered all around the space. Rory was still trying to reach up towards the ceiling, his expression still glazed over and his eyes unfocused.

"What is that thing?" Amy asked as she grabbed Rory, trying to stop him from making a run for the ladder, looking back up at the ceiling.

"The legend," Avery replied, his gun out and ready to fire at the slightest sign of the woman as he cast his eyes around the dimly lit space, "The siren," the Doctor and the Hatter moved back to Amy's side as she struggled to contain Rory, the Time Lady placing a firm hand on the entranced man's shoulder in attempt to help as he continued, "Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed, picking off the injured".

"Like a shark," the first pirate nodded, his cutlass in hand, though the Hatter wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of him holding a weapon when he looked so frightened. He was liable to accidently kill someone just because they twitched suddenly, "A shark can smell blood," he finished.

"Okay," the Doctor smiled slightly, "Just like a shark…in a dress…and singing…and _green_ ," his eyes lit up in excitement the more he went on, turning to the Hatter, who couldn't help smiling back at him in amusement, "A green singing shark in an evening gown".

The Hatter reached up to lightly pat his cheek, highly amused by how carried away he had got, just like the time when they had been in the Maze of the Dead, "Well, I can't say I've ever come across something like that," she remarked lightly, still smiling at him, "And that's saying something, sweetheart".

"The ship is cursed!" Avery shouted at the Time Lords, having enough of their apparent disregard for what was going on.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, glancing back over to him, "Yeah, right," he scoffed, shaking his head at him as he exchanged a look with the brunet beside him, "'Cursed' is big with humans," he turned back to the man, "It means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation".

"To be fair, it's not such a hard conclusion to come to in this case," the Time Lady cut in, earning a surprised look from the Doctor. She shrugged, "We are in a time that is mostly controlled by religion and superstition, what else are they supposed to think when a strange, glowing woman suddenly pops up out of the sea and turns peoples into dust?"

He paused, considering her for a moment, before sighing, "Why is that you can always see both sides of the situation?" he mock complained, knowing that she made a good point there.

She simply smiled at him, winking, "Its talent".

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory breathed, taking Amy's face in his hands as she continued to hold on to him.

The Doctor reached over and lightly pattered his back, knowing that he would be fine soon enough, and probably with no memory of anything he said.

The Hatter shook her head, amused as she cast Rory a look, "I wouldn't take what he says too much to heart, Amy," she advised the girl, "He's really not himself right now".

Amy sighed slightly and nodded, looking back to her husband, "Actually, I think you'll find she isn't," she told him, hugging him to her.

"She is…" Rory muttered drunkenly into her neck.

She ignored him, looking over his shoulder to the Time Lords, "We have to leave, right now," she said firmly, having about enough of Rory's deranged state and constant attempts to get back up to the top deck. It was like trying to deal with a three year old.

"That thing of yours really is a ship?" Avery asked dubiously, looking at the Doctor.

"Well, it's not propelled by the wind," the Doctor remarked, talking fast as he looked around.

"Show me," he demanded, and aimed his gun at the Doctor once more, "Weigh anchor. Make it sail".

He turned back around to face the man, his eyes flickering down to the gun being waved in his face, and meet the captain's eyes, "And the gun's back," he sighed, exasperated, "You're big on the gun's thing, aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating," the Hatter held back a laugh; covering her mouth to try and hide her smile, "Ever met Fraud?" he raised his eyebrows at him.

"Ah, not quite yet, sweetheart," the Time Lady cleared her throat, still struggling to hold back her amusement.

"Oh, right," he nodded to her, realising his mistake, but in his defence all those different eras just tended to blend in with each other now days, he didn't know how she managed to keep it straight in her head. He closed his eyes and titled his head back, recalling the time they paid Fraud a visits, which had been a rather interesting one to say the least, "Comfy sofa," he mumbled, just thinking about it.

They had fallen asleep on the sofa while Fraud had ducked out of the room and woke up to find him waiting in a chair with a notepad, wanting to analyse their dreams, which they probably should have expected.

"How I wish we could have it here now," the brunet sighed, casting a longing look around, her lower back and legs starting to arch from how long they had been standing around for. And she also wanted a cup of tea with a piece of an apple pie, she was honestly starting to worry that she might just turn into a green apple with the amount she ate of them lately.

"Leave the cursed one, Captain," one of the pirates at the back of the group urged; throwing a look over to Rory, "The creature can have him".

"Yes, please," Rory agreed happily, looking as if nothing in the Universe could make him happier.

The Hatter frowned at the man who had suggested it, "No one is getting left behind," she said sternly, her tone sharp, "Regardless of whether or not said person agrees to it or not".

Avery seemed to be seriously considering his crewmen's suggestion as he turned back to the Doctor, "We don't want the siren coming after us," he agreed, ignoring the Hatter.

The Time Lady's eyes narrowed slightly and she took a step forward, but before she had a chance open her mouth, the very same pirate who had come up with the idea suddenly cried out and jumped, lifting his leg out of the water to reveal a small, slimy black creature attached to his flesh. They all turned to look in alarm.

"It's a leech!" Amy gasped, catching a closer look at the creature.

"Everyone out of the water!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing the Hatter and quickly helping her up onto a nearby crate, joining her on top of it as the rest of the group scrambled to get onto the boxes around them.

"Ah!" Rory began crying out as Amy tried to drag him up onto a box, alarmed and confused as to what was going on, "Ah!"

"It's bitten me," the man breathed, pulling the leech off his leg as the others calmed slightly, "I'm bleeding!" he exclaimed, tossing it back into the water, staring down at the dribble of blood trickling down his leg. Fearfully, he lifted his hand up and his face drained of colour as he slowly turned his open palm around to show them the black spot that had appeared on his skin.

"Is she after blood?" the Hatter wondered aloud, frowning again as she thought about it, glancing at the Doctor, "But why would she need blood?"

Amy glared over to the newly marked man, "What were you saying about leaving the cursed behind?" she shot back.

"It's okay, we're safe down here," the Doctor shook his head, talking fast again, pulling the Hatter closer to his side as she sent him a quick look, "No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber".

The Time Lady groaned, closing her eyes in exasperation, "We're doomed".

Suddenly, there was a loud screech and they all spun around to see the siren appear out of the water behind them, still glowing with the greenish-blue light and singing.

"Oh!" the Doctor jumped slightly, forcing the Hatter to quickly steady him before he could send them both crashing into the water. His grip on her tightened as he eyed the siren, "Ah, hello again…"

Rory struggled against Amy, his arm out stretched towards the siren, desperately trying to reach her as the marked pirate did the same, dreamily walking towards the woman. The Time Lords jumped down from the box and rushed to grab a hold of the man, trying to hold him back, but the man managed to break free from they hold and reached out, touching the siren's hand as the others shouted. He disintegrated just like the other pirate had, leaving only his hat behind to land with a splash in the water.

The Doctor leaped forward and plucked the hat out of the water, slipping it on, before spinning back around and ushering the others back towards the doorway, the Hatter moving to help Amy to pull Rory out of the room and into the next, the Doctor slamming the door behind them and locking it.

"Safe?" Amy scoffed at him, raising her eyebrows as she continued to struggle with Rory.

He turned back around to face them, "I have my good days and my bad days," he replied, sweeping the hat off his head and holding it out to the Hatter, who broke into a broad smile.

"Oh, I could kiss you right now," she told him, completely serious as she happily took the hat.

He flashed her a grin, leaning closer towards her, "Yeah, what's stopping you?"

"Oh, maybe the fact that we're being stalked by a homicidal shark in an evening gown".

He pouted, "That's not how it works, dear, you're supposed to be all flirty back…"

The Hatter laughed slightly and reached up to lightly pat his cheek, "I know, I'm just teasing…sort of".

"How did she get in?" Avery asked, frowning deeply.

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and flashed it at the hat in the Hatter's hands, checking the results, "Bilge water," he determined.

"Curious," the Time Lady remarked, carefully folding her own hat up and slipping it inside her jacket pocket, before slipping the tricorne hat on. It was a little big and smelt of seaweed, but she could care less when she finally had herself a proper pirate's hat, "She must be using the water like a portal," she continued thoughtfully, jumping to the first logical conclusion, "Using it like a doorway to get around the ship".

"She can materialise through a single drop," the Doctor nodded along with her, looking around quickly, "We need to go somewhere with no water".

"Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean," Amy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Rory turned to her, making Amy pause, "Did you see her eyes?" he looked off into space, his expression growing dopy again, "Like crystal pools…"

She shook her head at him, "You're in enough trouble," she warned him, glancing back to the Time Lords.

"The magazine," Avery said suddenly, his eyes widening in realisation.

"What?" she looked back over to him, confused as Rory started struggling with her again.

"It's like an armoury," the Hatter explained, looking over to her, "They use it to store gunpowder".

"It's bone dry," he agreed, nodding.

"Wonderful, let's go," she smiled broadly, linking her arm through the Doctor's, and stepped forward.

Avery pulled his gun out and aimed it at them both, narrowing his eyes, " _I_ give the orders," he growled at her.

The Time Lady raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, hardly even glancing at the gun, really starting to get tired of having a gun wavered around in their faces, "Yeah, and I'm wearing a snazzy hat and I would love to sit down somewhere," she reached up and carefully pushed the barrel of the gun out of her face, knowing that he wasn't about to shot her as she fixed him with a polite smile, "Now, do excuse us while we attempt to keep everyone safe and alive," and with that, she strolled past him, leading the way.

The Doctor hurried along right behind her, holding her hand as they moved, "No one touch anything sharp!" he called back to them, keeping an eye out for any nails as they moved.

Amy sighed and tried to pull Rory along after them, "Come on, Rory," she said sternly, finally managing to drag him after the others.

They hurried through the ship until they came to a closed door at the end of a small hallway. One of the crew moved forward and began shuffling through a set of keys, searching for the right one as they waited.

"Come on, man!" Avery urged him, his gun still out and ready.

"I can't…find the key," the man shook his head, looking up from the keys, "Tis gone, Cap'n".

He frowned at him, "How can it have gone?"

The Doctor looked closer at the door and slowly moved towards it, curiously pushing his hand against the wooden surface, making the door spring open. The room was already filled with an orange glow coming from off an already lit candle, "It would seem that someone else has already beat us to it," the Hatter commented quietly, eyeing the light.

The Doctor stepped into the room, followed by the Time Lady and Avery, looking around carefully at all the barrels that lined the walls around the room, but there was no one in sight, not even hiding in one of the darkened corners. The others followed close behind them.

"Barricade the door," Avery order the crewmen with the keys as Amy and Rory slipped inside the room. He turned back to the man as he reached up to grab a lit lantern that was hanging from the ceiling, "Careful of that lantern," he warned him, casting his eyes around the room warily, "Every barrel is full of powder".

The man nodded and handed Avery the lantern before moving to barricade the door. The Doctor paused in the middle of the room, looking around it with a thoughtful expression, "Who's been sleeping in my gun room?" he asked aloud, glancing back to the Hatter.

The Hatter frowned slightly and closed her eyes, listening carefully, when she heard it, the sound of a faint cough that someone had tried very hard to smother. She smiled very slightly and opened her eyes, turning around to point at one of the barrels on the other side of the room, 'That one,' she mouthed.

Avery, who was nearest to the barrel, frowned slightly and stepped over to it, carefully placing the lantern down and putting his gun away as he reached for the barrels lid. He pulled it off and the coughing grew louder as he paused, staring down at the person hidden inside it, before he suddenly reached down and lifted a young boy out of it, "You fool!" he shouted, pushing the boy up against the wall as everyone turned to look. The Hatter's eyes widened and she took a step closer, noticing the child flitch slightly, "You fool, boy!" he said again, "What are you doing here?"

"Captain Avery, please," the Hatter began, her voice sharp as she looked between the child and Avery, really not liking how rough he was acting towards the boy, "There's no need to stand over the boy like that, he's clearly ill".

"Who is he?" the man with the keys questioned as Avery loosened his grip on the boy, just a little bit.

"What, he's not one of the crew?" the Doctor glanced at the man, confused.

"No," Avery shook his head, sighing heavily, "He's my son".

The Time Lady blinked slightly in surprise, but she quickly recovered as she moved closer to the boy, giving him a gentle smile, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm the Hatter," she introduced herself, trying hard not to look to worried as the boy coughed again. She held out her hand, "And you are…?"

"Toby," the boy replied, shaking her hand.

"Well, Toby, why don't you hop down from there so you and Father can have a little chat," she suggested, glancing quickly at Avery, "I'm sure you both have quite a bit to discuss".

Toby slipped off the barrel as Avery moved to take a seat on another barrel, the two sitting side-by-side as the Hatter moved to stand back beside the Doctor as she and the rest of the crew watched on, "Sometimes you just have to get the ball rolling," the brunet murmured to the Doctor, who wrapped his arm around her waist.

"What in God's name possessed you, boy?" Avery demanded after a moment, frowning at Toby, "Your Mother will be searching for you…" he trailed off as the boy lowered his head, looking away. He stared at him for a long moment, realisation crossing his face as Toby looked back up to him, "When?"

"Last winter," the boy told him, his voice quiet, "Fever," Avery looked away and sighed heavily as the Hatter ducked her head sadly. Toby smiled very slightly, "She told me all about you," he went on as Avery turned back to him, "How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honourable man, she said. How I'd be proud to know you," he covered his mouth as he coughed again, before raising his head as the cough subsided, "I've come to join your crew".

"I don't want you here".

"You can't send me back," he shook his head, and the Time Lords exchanged a small smile, liking the boy more and more, "It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home".

"It's dangerous here," Avery warned him, very serious, "There is a monster aboard. She leaves marks on men's skin".

"The black spot?"

The Time Lords and Avery looked at him sharply as the boy open his palm and held it out for them to see the black spot marking his skin. Avery's eyes widened as he grabbed his son's hand, staring down at the mark in alarm as the Doctor and the Hatter stepped closer.

Toby covered his mouth again as another harsh cough rattled his body, and the Time Lady felt her hearts break a little.

….

The Doctor, Amy, and the Hatter where now sitting close to the door on a couple of barrels as Avery leaned on the wall beside them, the four of them looking back over to where Toby was still sitting on the other side of the room, coughing every now and again. Rory was sitting a short distance away from them on another barrel, seeming slightly more himself as he looked down at the black spot on his own hand, though he had hardly said a word since they had entered the room.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy," Avery remarked, frowning slightly as he glanced over to his son, "He has no scars".

"It would seem that our last theory was wrong," the Hatter sighed, keeping her voice low as she eyed the boy's pale face, already having diagnosed him with Typhoid Fever.

Amy reached across and mockingly pattered the Doctor's stomach, "They have their good days and their bad days".

"It's not just the blood," the Time Lady continued, smiling faintly at Amy's comment, "It's as if she's tracking down the sick _and_ wounded. Toby is ill, so she's marked him just like she did with the others".

"Like a hunter chooses the weakest animal…" the Doctor added, nodding.

"Okay, look, he's got a fever," Amy cut in, trying to keep them both on track before they could go off on another tangent, "The siren knows it".

"Humans…" the Doctor muttered, shaking his head as he eyed the boy as he began coughing again. The Hatter winced at the sound, "Second rate," he went on, not noticing the frown Amy was giving him, "Damage too easily. It's only time before everyone gets bruised…" he trailed off, finally noticing the looks Amy and Avery were giving him.

The Hatter rolled her eyes and pushed her hat up as it slipped down her face, lightly hitting his arm, making him jump slightly, "Ignore him, he's letting his Time Lord arrogance get the better of him," she said to the two humans, throwing the Doctor a pointed look as she focused on Avery, "What he really means to say is that we can use our ship to…ah, _sail_ away from here," she told the man, making sure to alter her words slightly so that he would understand.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant," the Doctor said hurriedly, nodding as he climbed onto his feet, trying hard to ignore the amused look the brunet sent him. He turned to Avery, reaching out to lightly pat his shoulder, "You, me, and the Hatter will fetch it. Let's go…"

Avery pointed his gun at him again.

"Seriously?" the Time Lady sighed, raising her eyebrows as she stood, so close to just grabbing the weapon and throwing it over board when Avery wasn't expecting it, "Again with the gun thing?"

"You're not the Captain here, remember?" Avery growled, fixing the Doctor with a steady look.

The Hatter shook her head and looked away, just in time to see Toby pull the lid off a barrel of water. A glowing green hand shot up from the water's surface, filling the air with the sound of the siren's song.

"Get back!" she shouted, lunging for the barrel as the Doctor joined her, both struggling to get the lid back on as Toby jumped out of the way. Finally, they managed to get it back on the barrel, both Time Lords left panting as they turned back around to face the room.

"The water's dangerous!" Avery snapped at Toby, who looked quite shocked, "That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man".

The Doctor reached across to the boy and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, while the Hatter gave Avery a glare, "He's a child, Captain Avery," she reminded him, her voice cold as she placed a hand on the boy's other shoulder, "You can't just shout at him as if he was another one of your men. He wasn't to know the danger," she moved around to stand in front of Toby, bending down so that they were eye level as she gave him a small, reassuring smile, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a little thirsty," Toby replied, covering his mouth with another cough.

She nodded, lightly brushing his fringe back off his hot forehead, "I know you are and I wish I could get you something to drink, but it's too dangerous right now," she sighed, knowing that they couldn't even give him bottle water without the threat of the siren making an appearance. She straightened and ruffled his hair, "We'll sort something out later, okay?"

Toby nodded and moved back over to where he had been sitting, the Time Lords watching him go.

"Poor kid," the Doctor murmured to the brunet.

"Indeed," she said softly, taking his hand and holding it tightly.

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard," the man with the keys said, throwing a dark look around the room.

"It's not a curse," the Time Lords both sighed, exasperated.

"Curse means game over," the Doctor went on, fixing the pirates with a stern look, "Curse means we're helpless. We are _not_ helpless! So, Captain, what's out next move?" he turned to look at Avery.

Avery blinked and looked back over to him, surprised that the Doctor was actually asking him instead of assuming that he was in charge.

…

With their plan in place, the Time Lords and Avery prepared to leave the room, the barricade that had been placed in front of the door in the process of being taken down by the remaining crew members. Avery stepped over to his son, placing a silver medallion with a mermaid engraved into the metal around the boy's neck for protection, before he glanced back over to his men, "Wait with the boy," he ordered them.

The man with the keys paused midway in lifting up a barrel, looking back to Avery, "Captain, we're all in danger here," he said, exchanging a quick look with the second pirate helping him to clear the doorway.

"I said wait," Avery looked back to the man, his expression growing firmer, "And barricade the door after we've gone".

"Sure you want to go?" Amy asked, eyeing the Doctor and the Hatter worriedly.

"We have to do something for Rory and Toby's sakes," the Hatter told her, glancing at the boy and Rory as she spoke, "They can't stay here, it's too dangerous".

The Doctor nodded along with her, "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese…" he added.

"Okay," Amy gave him a strange look as the Time Lady struggled to hold back a smile, patting the Doctor's arm fondly. She shook her head at them both, "Well, remember, if you get an itch, don't scratch too hard," she reminded them seriously.

The Hatter blinked, actually looking surprised and mildly alarmed, "Blimey, I didn't even think about scratching," she said, growing slightly concerned, and only just resisted the sudden temptation to scratch a spot on her arm that hadn't been itchy until they had started talking about scratching.

The Doctor gave her a small smile, taking her hand as he looked back to Amy and Rory, "We've all got to go sometime," he remarked, shrugging, missing the look that Amy and Rory exchanged. The Hatter didn't, though, and she frowned slightly to herself, filing it away to think about later as Doctor continued, stepping closer to Rory, "There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid".

Rory laughed slightly as he pattered his shoulder. The Hatter smiled at him, "You'll be fine, Rory," she assured him, trying to sound more sure then she really felt. She glanced quickly over her shoulder to the pirates, who had managed to unblock the door, before turning back to Amy and Rory, "You two be careful," she told them, lowering her voice so that the others wouldn't hear her, "Keep an eye on Toby, too. Rory, you're a nurse," she focused on him, "I'm sure you can get creative if the poor boy starts getting any worse, just make sure his temperature doesn't get any higher".

"We'll look after him," Amy promised, giving both Time Lords a slightly strained smile.

The Time Lady eyed her for a moment, feeling the need to ask her what was wrong, but she sighed and simply nodded. It wouldn't be any use asking, she could tell by the look in Amy's eyes that she would deny it the moment she asked. Together, she and the Doctor turned and heading for the door with Avery following close behind them, the three of them stepping outside and closing the door behind them. The moment it was closed they could hear the others on the other side blocking the door back up.

Avery looked around carefully as he put his gun away, "Do you want to draw up lots for who's in charge, then?" he questioned, looking back to the Doctor, only half joking.

The Doctor took a moment to cast his eyes around, the Hatter shaking her head at them both, "Darkness?" he listed off, putting a hand on his hip, still holding the brunet's hand in the other one, "Demon?" he pattered Avery's chest, "You can have first go".

The Hatter laughed, playfully ruffling the Doctor's hair, "My hero".

He grinned, missing the sarcasm in her tone as he reached up to try and straighten his hair, but it only made it look even messier, "Thanks, dear".

She laughed again and looked around him to Avery, "And this is just one of the reasons for why he's such a sweetheart, he can be so dense sometimes that it's just adorable," she looked back to the Doctor, who was giving her a confused look, "He's a bit like a puppy".

"Dense?" he repeated in a mock offended tone.

"In an _adorable_ way," she nodded, lightly patting his cheek.

"Oh, well, that's okay, then".

Avery eyed them both for a moment, not seeming to be overly pleased with their banter as he shook his head and began to creep forward, leading the way down the corridor, his eyes roaming around for any sign of the siren. The Time Lords followed close behind him, which turned out to be a very good thing as, after only a couple of steps, Avery tripped on a piece of rope left on the ground and nearly put his hand down on top of a nail that was sticking out of a box beside him. Luckily, the Doctor managed to grab him around his middle and grab his elbow, helping to steady him before he could put his hand down on the nail, keeping his hand raised above the nail. The Hatter breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't even known she had been holding, moving around to Avery's other side, helping to straighten him back up.

"Nearly…" Avery breathed, swallowing hard as his eyes lingered on the nail that came so close to ruining everything for him.

"Nice reflexes, sweetheart," the Hatter said to the Doctor, giving him a small smile.

"That's me," he flashed her a broad grin, "Speedy finger's Doctor," she raised her eyebrows at him and he paused, shaking his head as he made a face, "No, that's a rubbish name. Forget I ever said that".

"Gladly, though I might have to tease you about it a couple of times," she warned him playfully as they set off again, Avery leading the way at a slower, far more careful pace this time around. She gave him a wink, "It wouldn't be me if I didn't".

The Doctor groaned slightly, knowing that he really should have expected as much form her, though, if he was being perfectly honest, he quite enjoyed all her teasing, regardless of whether or not it ended up embarrassing him in most cases. He shook his head and focused on keeping his eyes peeled for anymore nails as they continued making their way back through the ship, soon managing to find their way back to the TARDIS. He retrieved his key from his pocket and unlocked the door, throwing them open as they stepped inside.

Avery's eyes widened as he stared around the impossibly big room, stunned as the Time Lords headed straight up to the console, "By all the…" he began, the door banging shut behind him.

The Doctor spun back around to face him, holding his hands up, "Let me stop you there," he cut across him as the man continued to take it all in, the Time Lady smiling over at him from around the side of the Time Rotor, "Bigger on the inside. Don't mind, do you, if we just skip to the end of that moment?" he said hastily, turning back to the console as Avery made his way up the steps towards them, "Oh, and sorry I lied, by the way, when I said yours was bigger".

"Fraud would definitely have a field trip on this little adventure," the Hatter muttered as she hit a switch, wondering just what she had missed while she and Amy had been sent to the galley. Somehow, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know at this point.

"Kitchen that way…" he went on, pointing off up the stairs on the right of the console, oblivious to what the Time Lady had said, "Choice of bathrooms there…" he turned and pointed off to the left, "There," down the hallway at the back of the room, "And there," and back behind him.

Avery's eyes grew even bigger, if that was possible, much to the Time Lady's amusement as she happily took the chance to take a seat on one of the console chairs, sighing in relief as the dull throb in her lower back eased very slightly. Pregnancy really wasn't very fun, what with the constant food cravings, the morning sickness, though that had thankfully started to ease, the nose like a bloodhound, back pain, and she had even found herself having trouble sleeping. The entire experience truly had given her a whole new respect for other women going through the same thing. Still, it was a nice learning experience she had found, and she did so love to learn and experience new things, and this came with the added benefit of getting a child at the end of it.

The Doctor moved around the console, giving her a quick, slightly concerned look as he passed by her, but she smiled and shook her look, silently assuring him that she was fine. If she had ever thought he worried too much about her before, she had had no idea. It was quite sweet just how concerned he was, constantly monitoring her blood pressure and practically threatening to handcuff her to a sofa or their bed to make sure she rested after having an adventure, and while the Hatter did find all his fussing to be a little unnecessary, she knew that it made him feel happier and more at ease to know that she was okay, so she humoured him for the most part. She drew the line when he brought up the idea of hooking her up to a portable medical scanner, she wanted to insure that their child was healthy, just as much as he did, but that was just taking it a bit too far. She had agreed to consider it when she was a bit closer to her due date, however. That seemed to make him a bit happier.

With a small sigh, she stood and stepped back over to the console, knowing that she needed to help the Doctor so that they could get Rory and Toby to safety as soon as possible, resting could come later. She set to work on the controls as the Doctor moved around to the typewriter, typing something into the keypad as Avery curiously looked around at the controls.

"What's that do?" he asked, pointing at one of the levers.

The Doctor's head snapped back up, "That does very complicated," he informed him quickly as the Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, amused with his vague explanation, "That does sophisticated," he continued, hitting a small bell on the console, making it ding loudly, before pointing over to another control, "That does whoa, amazing! And that…" he wiggled his fingers over at the Time Rotor, "And that does wiz, bang, far too technical to explain!" he paused, glancing around the controls to the Hatter, flashing her a smile, "But give the Hatter five minutes and a white board and I bet she could".

The Hatter returned the smile and shook her head, "Sometimes I think you give me far too much credit, sweetheart," she commented.

"Impossible," he said at once, completely serious.

Avery looked over the controls and pointed at one of the controls that the Doctor had pointed out, which looked like a spinning ball with coloured spikes sticking out of it, "Wheel?" he questioned, looking back to the Time Lords.

The Time Lady blinked slightly, "Technically, it's called an atom accelerator".

"It steers the thing?" he frowned, trying to break it all down so that he could understand it better.

"No," the Doctor said quickly, just as the brunet opened her mouth to answer. He straightened from where he had been fiddling with the controls and turned back to him, "Sort of…"

"He means, yes," the Hatter rolled her eyes at him, wondering why he had to make it even more complicated for the poor man, "It does steer the ship".

"Wheel," Avery nodded, and began pointing at different controls, "Telescope…" the Doctor frowned at him, looking surprised and even a little impressed, "…astrolabe, compass," he turned back to the Time Lords, shrugging at them, "A ship's a ship".

"Oh…" the Doctor muttered, not entirely sure how he felt about someone else seeming to be able to understand his own ship better and faster than him.

The Hatter smiled, struggling to hold back a laugh as she pattered the Doctor's arm soothingly, "Very impressive, Captain Avery," she complimented him, a note of approval in her tone, "It took most Time Lords decades to grasp what you seemed to have, even if it might just be in principle".

"Yes, well," the Doctor cleared his throat, trying to move off the subject as he turned back to the controls, "This is how the professionals do it," he said, pulling several levels, trying hard to ignore the Time Lady's amused look.

The TARDIS made a strange, echoing grinding noise, sounding more like it was powering down then taking off.

The Time Lady frowned slightly, moving closer to the controls, "Well, that's not supposed to happen," she commented, mildly concerned.

The Doctor glanced back over to Avery before focusing his attention back onto the console, "Uh, it's stuck…" he reached out to toy with another button, "Not responding".

"Becalmed?" Avery asked, the corner of his mouth lifting very slightly.

He hummed in confirmation, "Yeah, apparently. That's new…" he sighed, looking back over to the man to see him smiling and nodded, almost smugly. He huffed, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You had to gloat, didn't you?"

"I'm not gloating".

"I saw that look just now. 'Ha, ha, his ship's rubbish'".

Avery smirked at him, nodding, "True".

The Doctor stared at him, trying to come up with a clever comeback, but when none popped into his head he shook his head and looked back to the controls.

The Hatter looked between them, rolling her eyes, "Men".

 _ **I am so sorry for how long this has taken, aside from it taking ages to get Word put onto my new laptop, this chapter turned out to be much bigger then I had first thought, but the funny thing is that I actually had to just do a mini project at school on pirates, which I found very amusing. I just kept thinking of this episode and even named my mock treasure island 'Gallifrey'. Sadly, I think it's going to be lost on my teacher but I just couldn't resist.**_

 _ **Anyway, I finally managed to type this half up and the good news is that my holidays are coming up, so I should have more time to spend writing and will hopefully get back into the swing of it. I usually prefer to be at least a chapter ahead, but since it's taken so long for me to get this chapter finished I decided to just post it regardless. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	7. Chapter 7Curse of the Black Spot, Part 2

_**Curse of the Black Spot, Part 2**_

The Hatter moved around the console, frowning deeply down at the controls as she reached out to hit a button, glancing over at the monitor to see the results, "Oh, this isn't very good," she sighed, her movements growing more urgent as she fiddled with the controls, "The TARDIS can't get a lock on the plane".

"The what?" Avery asked, confused as he watched the Time Lords start to rush around the controls.

"The space we travel in," the Doctor explained, talking fast as he worked, pausing for a moment to glance up at him, "The…ocean!" he spun around to face him properly, "Sort of ocean, but not water".

The Time Lady nodded, "The TARDIS is having trouble seeing, so she's upset because she thinks that the space doesn't exist," she absently pattered the Time Rotor as she went on, "And without that plane for her to lock onto, the TARDIS won't be taking us anywhere".

Avery frowned, shaking his head, "I'm confused…" he admitted.

"Yeah, well, it's a big club," the Doctor remarked, turning back to him, "We should get T-shirts".

Suddenly, the TARDIS jolted violently, almost sending the Doctor toppling onto the floor, while Avery and the Hatter held onto the console. A loud, groaning, grinding noise filled the room as the entire console continued shaking around them.

The Hatter swallowed worriedly, clinging to the edge of the TARDIS as she stared around the room, "Oh, this just took an even worse turn," she said over the rumbling sound still echoing around the room.

The Doctor's head snapped around to look at her, very confused and alarmed, "Please tell me you know what's happening, dear?"

"Thank Rassilon I paid attention in class," she muttered, shaking her head at him as she frantically began throwing switches and pulling levers, "Remember how I mentioned that the TARDIS was upset?" she raised her voice to be heard over all the noise, "Well, make that a full-blown screaming tantrum worthy of the Master," the TARDIS gave another sharp jolt, almost making her lose her grip on the console before she managed to right herself, the Doctor and Avery fairing little better. She huffed, fixing the Time Rotor with a dark look, "Oi! There's no need for that attitude, if anyone is going to start getting huffy around here it's me with my hormones."

"Can you fix it?" Avery looked between the Time Lords, moving to try and help them work on the controls.

"Argh…!" the Doctor called, moving around the console and lightly slapping his hands away, "The parametric engines are jammed!" he hurriedly checked the readings, "Orthogonal vector's gone. I'm almost out of ideas!" he ducked under the controls, checking to make sure that the wires beneath the panel were all connected.

"Almost?" he said hopefully.

"I guess we could always try singing the old girl a lullaby and stroking her," the Hatter remarked thoughtfully, wincing as the TARDIS gave another sharp jolt, her shoes slipping against the glass floor, "Though, I don't hold out to much hope that it'll actually work. It never did for my TARDIS".

The Doctor popped back up, grabbing a lever and pulling it down, but it only seemed to make matters worse as the TARDIS started shaking even more violently then before, throwing the three of them back from the controls as the Hatter yelped loudly, frantically grabbing hold of one of the railings behind her before she could topple over onto the floor.

"I've lost control of her!" he shouted, quickly looking over to the Time Lady to make sure she was okay, "She's about to dematerialise. We could end up anywhere!"

"That sounds bad!" Avery called over to him.

"Oh, it is!" the Hatter agreed, her eyes wide as she stumbled over to him, grabbing the sleeve of his coat, "We have to get out of here, right now!"

"Out!" the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist, grabbing Avery's other arm as they began pulling the man along with them towards the doors, struggling and sliding on the floor as they went, "Out now!" the console exploded behind them, sending sparks and flames into the air, just as they reached the stairs. They paused briefly, looking back to the now smoking controls, before quickly continuing on their way to the doors, "Abandon ship!" he ushered them closer to the doors, trying to ignore the sound of more explosion going off behind them, "Abandon ship!"

They managed to make it back outside and into the hold of the ship, moving towards the door, when the sound of the TARDIS engines caught their attention. They spun back around in time to see the TARDIS glowing a greenish-blue light, very similar to the sirens as the time machine disappeared before their eyes.

"Okay, oh…okay, okay," the Doctor began, looking slightly panicked and alarmed, holding the Hatter closer to his side as she looked at him worriedly, "TARDIS runs off on its own," he looked at her, "That's a bit of a new one".

"For me, too," the Hatter agreed, still eyeing him as she sighed heavily, "And there goes our clever plan of getting everyone away from here".

"Not much of a Captain without a ship, are you?" Avery commented, looking back over to them.

The brunet sent him a quick look, "The TARDIS is hardly a ship, she's…" she trailed off, glancing at the Doctor as a small smile crossed her face, "She's a part of the family".

The Doctor smiled at her, feeling slightly better hearing her say that. It was nice to know that she felt the same way about his TARDIS as he did, especially considering the fact that it wasn't her own time machine. It warmed his hearts.

Avery shook his head at them and pushed the door open, the Time Lords moving to follow after him as he started to lead them back through the ship, intending to take them back to his quarters so they could start to put another plan in place. The three of them hurried through the hallways, being mindful to keep an eye out for anything sharp as they went, when the pirate who had unlocked the door to the magazine popped up from out of the shadows, stepping into their path with two pistols in his hands, and aimed at them. They came to a quick stop, staring at the man in surprise as the Hatter noticed that he had a rather heavy looking sack draped over his back and a jewelled, gold crown dangling around his wrist.

"Mulligan!" Avery gasped, frowning at the man, "What are you doing?" he demanded, his tone growing angry as the man began to walk towards them, forcing them to back away from him, "This is mutiny!"

"She doesn't want me," Mulligan shook his head, moving past them so that they were forced to back further into the wall of the narrow hallway, the Doctor making sure to place himself slightly in front of the Time Lady, eyeing the guns aimed at them carefully, "She only wants Toby," he made his way past them, not taking his eyes off them for a moment, "And the scrawny looking fellow," he stared them down for a moment before turning on his heel and taking off in a run down the hallway that they had just come from.

"Um, not to start panicking," the Hatter began, her eyes following the man's back as he dashed away from them, "But I'm quite sure he has the last of the supplies".

"We should go after him," the Doctor agreed quickly, glancing at Avery.

"Never mind the damned supplies," Avery snapped, furious that one of his own, most trusted crew members would betray him like this, "What about my treasure?"

Not waiting for the Time Lords to answer, he took off after the man, forcing them to follow after him as they dashed around a corner where more boxes and creates where pushed up against the walls, only to be forced to duck out of the way and hide behind the creates as Mulligan stopped, catching sight of them chasing him, and took fire at them.

The Doctor popped back up from behind the create, pulling the Hatter up along with him as Mulligan took off running again, "Don't get injured," he reminded them as Avery carefully straightened from behind his own hiding spot, "Don't get injured!"

"Easier said than done, sweetheart!" the Hatter groaned, one arm wrapped protectively around her stomach.

They took off after the man, but just as they managed to start catching up with him, he disappeared through a doorway at the end the hallway and locked it behind him, just as they reached it.

"Come out of there, you mutinous dog!" Avery shouted angrily through the door, pounding his fist against the wooden surface, making the door's hinges rattle but it still didn't give.

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began using it on the lock, when the sound of the sirens song started again. He straightened and immediately turned to the Hatter, almost frantically looking her over for the slightest scratch or bruise, even quickly skimming up her sleeves and moving the collar of her jacket down to check her neck.

"I'm fine," the Hatter assured him quickly, gently grabbing his hands as he moved to try pulling her top out of the top of her skirt to check her stomach. That was going too far, especially when Captain Avery was standing right next to them, checking himself for any injuries. She sighed slightly, "It's not us she's come for," she told them, and pointed down at the door where a greenish-blue glow was coming from beneath the door from within the room.

"She's inside," the Doctor breathed, staring at the light.

"She's come for Mulligan," Avery realised.

Suddenly, an agonised scream rang out over the siren's song from behind the door and the light faded after a moment, along with the music. The Doctor lunged for the door, flashing the sonic screwdriver at the lock and finally unlocking it. He pushed the door open and they peered inside the small, dimly lit storage room, only to find it empty, Mulligan gone just like the others had disappeared after touching the siren.

They moved further into the room, the Doctor waving his sonic screwdriver around, while Avery's eyes immediately fell onto where the golden crown must have fallen on the floor in the middle of the room. He frowned and bent down, picking the crown up, "No water in here," he remarked, casting his eyes around, "How did she take him?" he looked back to the Time Lords, the Time Lady looking thoughtful, while the Doctor began searching around, just in case there was a puddle that they hadn't noticed yet, "You said she uses water like a door, that's how she enters a room".

"Yes, that's what we first…" the Time Lady trailed off, her eyes coming to land on the glittering crown in his hands. She gasped, "Oh, we were wrong…" she shook her head, her eyes snapping back up to meet the Doctor's, realisation crossing his own face as he caught on to what she had noticed herself, "Very wrong, so very, very wrong…." she murmured, more to herself then to Avery or the Doctor.

"Please ignore all of our theories up to this point," the Doctor told Avery, moving to take a closer look at the crown, his eyes fixed on the shiny metal, his own reflection looking back at him.

Avery gave them both a deep frown, "What, again?" he demanded, starting to grow annoyed that they didn't seem to have any more idea of what was going on than he did.

The Hatter easily plucked the crown out of his grip, taking him by surprise by the sudden movement as she sighed heavily, "How could we not have seen it before?" she said to the Doctor, eyeing the way that the crown caught the light, "It's not the water, that's not how she's getting around. We were wrong".

The Doctor nodded, taking the crown from her hands as it all started to make sense, "When we were down in the hold, think what happened," he looked back up to Avery, who didn't look very happy that they had their hands all over his treasure, "You, me, the Hatter, Amy, Rory, leeches," he lightly hit Avery's chest.

He frowned, thinking about it, "She sprang from the water," he replied.

"Yes!" the Hatter clicked her fingers at him, "But only _after_ the water had grown still, when we had all stopped fussing around and climbed out of it".

"Still water," the Doctor added, his eyes growing distant with thought, "Nature's mirror".

"So…you mean…" Avery began, starting to follow along with what they were getting at.

"Exactly," the Time Lady cut across him, nodding grimly as her eyes travelled back over to the shiny surface of the crown, "It's not _just_ water, it's the _reflection_ that still water gives us. Reflection, that's how the siren gets around".

"That siren legend," the Doctor breathed, his eyes widening as his head snapped back up to her, "The curse!"

"You both said curses weren't real!" Avery reminded them, glaring.

"Yes, but every myth and legend has a bit of truth to it," the brunet admitted, shrugging slightly, "The hard part it figuring out which part of the legend is true or not".

"She attacks ships filled with treasure," the Doctor continued thoughtfully, "Where else do you get a perfect reflection?" he waved a hand at the crown.

Avery blinked in realisation, before his eyes widened in horror, "Polished metal!" he exclaimed.

"Hmm…" he hummed, turning the crown around in his hand so that it caught the light, when both Time Lords froze, looking back to Avery, remembering something very important.

"The medallion that you gave to Toby!" the Hatter cried, alarmed as she realised that the medallion that Avery had left his son for his protection, was exactly what the siren needed to get to both him and Rory.

"We must warn them!" Avery shouted, and dashed out of the door.

The Doctor quickly hid the crown in an old sack and grabbed the Hatter's hand, both running after the man back through the hallways of the ship, frantically trying to get back to the magazine. Finally, they managed to reach the door and began pounding their fists against it.

"Amy!" the Doctor called urgently through the door, "Open the door!"

"Toby, open the door!" Avery yelled, trying to use his shoulder to force the door open, "Toby!"

"Now, please!" the Hatter shouted, hitting her open palm against the door until it started to feel numb.

"Toby!"

The door finally opened and Amy and Rory stood back, looking very confused and worried as they rushed inside, the Doctor immediately snatching the silver medallion out of Toby's hand and frantically breathing heavily against the metal, fogging it up until the reflective surface was completely covered. Amy and Rory exchanged a look as they closed the door, watching as the Doctor panted slightly and looked back up to the tensely waiting Avery and Hatter, giving them a reassuring thumbs up, making them both sigh in relief.

"We're not finished yet," the Hatter breathed, feeling slightly short of breath after the running and the panic of not making it in time. She meet the Doctor's eyes, her expression growing grim, "We have to destroy _every_ reflective surface on this ship".

The Doctor, not even pausing to catch his breath, straightened and grabbed her hand as they set off again for the door; Amy and Rory hastily moving out of the way as he threw the door open. They could only watch in confusion as the Time Lords took off out of the room, Avery right behind them.

They ran all the way back through the ship, climbing back up the ladder, and across the deck to the Captain's quarters. Avery frowned at them as he trailed behind them, trying to figure out what on Earth they were doing, and his confusion only grew as he watched the Doctor pick up a rifle and dashed across to the end of the room, using the butt of the weapon to start smashing the small panes of glass, while the Hatter picked up a heavy looking bust and began using that to smash windows herself.

"We have to destroy all the reflections!" the Time Lady called over the noise of the breaking glass to Avery, noticing the man staring at them in alarm and confusion, "Whatever makes a reflection, it's got to be destroyed!"

"Gold!" the Doctor added, raising his voice over the noise, still smashing more windows, "Silver, glass, she could spring from any of them!" he ran back across the room, catching sight of a mirror hanging on the wall, and quickly smashed that too so that it shattered. The Hatter dropped the bust in her hand and grabbed an old blanket off a nearby chair, throwing it over the mirror shards to completely cover the reflective surface. The Doctor turned back around to see Avery staring at him, glancing back at the now empty frame that the mirror had been in on the wall, "Oh, yes, yes, I know, I know," he sighed, shaking his head, "Very bad luck to break it…"

"Like we need any more bad luck," the Hatter muttered, carefully pushing a stray shard of the mirror beneath the edge of the blanket with the toe of her shoe.

"But…" he continued, giving her a small smile as he focused his attention back on Avery, who was looking around at his half-destroyed cabin, "Look at it this way," he absently leaned the gun against the wall behind him, "There's a stroppy homicidal mermaid trying to kill all," he finished cheerfully, clapping his hands.

Avery pulled his eyes away from the mess that they had created and sighed, nodding after a moment of consideration, "How much worse can it get?"

The Time Lady pointed at him sternly, "Let's not go there," she said hurriedly, knowing that every single time someone said that, everything became ten times worse and someone usually ended up getting hurt, if not worse.

The Doctor winced, glancing at her warily, "Probably a good idea," he agreed, before shaking his head and focusing back on the task at hand. He looked down at a large chest filled to the brim with gold treasure and glittering jewels that was sitting open on the floor, bending down to grab one end of the chest, "Help me lug this lot out," he said to Avery, preparing to start lifting it up.

"Where are we taking it?" Avery asked, leaning down to help him as the Hatter moved back to give them space.

"The ocean, of course," the brunet informed him.

"No!" he exclaimed, startled as both Time Lords paused, looking at him questioningly, "No," he went on in a slightly lower register then before, still looking very shaken by the mere suggestion, "This is the treasure of the Mogul of India," he explained, as if that should have been the end to the idea to throw it all in the ocean.

"Oh, good," the Doctor began sarcastically, "For a moment there I thought it was yours," and he went to lift the chest again.

Avery tried to grab his hands, "No, no, Doctor, wait!" he tried again, making the Doctor pause and look back up to him. He looked back and forth between the two Time Lords, "Must we do this?"

"I'm afraid so," the Hatter nodded, her tone firm, "Any reflection posses a possible death sentence for both Toby and Rory. We must protect them, nothing else matters but their safety".

"This is your _child_ , Captain Avery," the Doctor reminded him sharply, noticing the man's eyes looking longingly down at the treasure, "You're responsible for insuring that he is protected, nothing is more important than that to a parent," his eyes grew darker as Avery looked back up to him, startled, "Treasure is meaningless when it comes to the safety of your child, so what will you choose?" Avery hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement. The Doctor eyed him for a moment longer, "Go and get the crown from the storeroom," he ordered him.

Avery took a deep breath and headed for the door, disappearing outside.

The Hatter smiled gently at the Doctor, taking his hand, "It seems that my speeches are starting to rub off on you," she commented.

He sighed heavily, lifting her hand up to place a kiss on the back of it, "How can a parent ever think about putting their child's safety second to something so meaningless as gold?"

She shook her head sadly, "I couldn't imagine ever being able to do it myself either, but I don't think Avery has had much of a chance to be a Father to Toby," she said thoughtfully, thinking about how the two interacted together, the lack of that parental warmth that was so often seen between a parent and child, especially after being separated as they had been, "I think he might have forgotten how to put someone first before himself, after having spent so many years as a pirate".

"He'll learn," he said, sounding more hopeful then certain, "For Toby's sake, I hope he does".

"I'm sure he will, but old habits are hard to break".

Exchanging a grim, concerned look, the Time Lords set to work grabbing armfuls of jewels and gold out of the chest and carrying it carefully across to the shattered windows, tossing them into the water below.

….

Once the Time Lords were satisfied that the ship had been cleared of anything with a reflective surface, they and Avery returned to the magazine to explain to Amy, Rory, and Toby everything they had found out and what they intended to do next.

"Just wait?" Rory repeated, frowning at the Doctor and Hatter as they stepped back towards the door to where Avery was already waiting.

"Not our most dynamic plan, I realise…" the Doctor admitted, spinning back around to face them.

"TARDIS?" Amy reminded them, wondering why they hadn't thought to use that in the first place. That had been their original plan, after all.

The Hatter winced slightly, "Slight issue…the siren's stolen her…" she paused, frowning slightly thoughtfully as she shot the Doctor a look, "Wait, can you really steal something that's already been stolen?"

"I borrowed her," the Doctor said quickly, looking slightly sheepish as she raised an eyebrow at him, "I was always going to give her back".

"That's the biggest fib I've ever heard come out of your mouth," she scoffed, shaking her head at him, "And that's saying something because you've said some pretty massive lies in the past".

"Wait!" Amy cut in, raising her voice slightly as the Doctor was about to retort, looking backwards and forwards between the Time Lords, "What do you mean the siren's stolen the TARDIS?" she asked, alarmed.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, glancing at Avery and the Time Lady, "We might be a bit stuck here for a while," he tried to give them a small smile.

"So you're saying that we should all just wait here below?" Rory questioned, still frowning at them, his arm crossed across his chest.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror," Avery informed them, and the Time Lords nodded along with him, "If you go out on deck, she'll rise up and attack you".

"Everything will be just fine," the Hatter tried to assure them, giving them a comforting smile as she stepped towards them, patting Rory's arm as she continued, "The conditions will change and the calm will end soon enough," she took a quick sniff of the air, closing her eyes, and over the strong smell of gun powder that she could smell in air, she made out another scent, one that was both very good and possibly very bad. She opened her eyes again and looked at the humans, trying hard not to show her own concerns, "There's a storm coming soon, it's still a little bit off from hitting but it will hit us and when it does, we can use the wind to set sail".

"Until it does, you have to hid down here," Avery agreed, fixing Toby and Rory both with a stern look.

….

While the others remained below deck, sleeping, the Doctor and the Hatter stood on the deck, admiring the stairs above them, the Hatter's head resting on the Doctor's shoulder as he held her tightly to his side, her borrowed hat held in her hand at her side. It was comforting; to be able to look up at the sky and see those stars glittering back at them through the dark, and for a brief moment it allowed them the chance to take their minds off the danger of the siren and simply enjoy something so familiar.

"We should do this more often," the Hatter remarked, her voice soft as she mentally listed off each and every star that she could see, "Just stop sometimes and look at the stars," she sighed slightly, almost sadly, "We don't do it nearly as much as we should".

"We're always too busy running around," the Doctor commented, sounding just as sad as she did, "There isn't enough time to look at stars".

"I know," she sighed again, closing her eyes, feeling as if she could very easily just drift off to sleep, "But there was a time when we would spend hours staring up at the stars, listing them off. I miss being that carefree".

"So do I," he murmured, turning his head to kiss her hair before turning his attention back up to the sky, recalling all the times that they had looked up at the stars as children on Gallifrey. It had started out as another way for the Hatter to try and get him to study, but it had stuck with them long after leaving school.

Footsteps sounded on the wooden floor and they both looked up to see Avery approaching them, coming to a stop beside them as he followed their gaze back up to the night sky.

"It's not one star, it's two," the Doctor said to man, pointing up to one of the brightest glowing stars above them, "The Dog star, Sirius. Binary system".

"I use it to navigate the ocean," Avery remarked.

"We've travelled far, like you," he looked back across to the man, over the top of the Time Lady's head, who had her eyes closed and looked almost as if she could have been sleeping, but he knew that she was listening, "Space can be very lonely, and the greatest adventure is having someone share it with you," his eyes back down to the brunet and he smiled softly.

Avery looked down for a moment, knowing what he was getting at, "If we get out of this, I'll take him back to England," he told them, raising his head again, "He can't stay with me," he shook his head, "I'm not the Father he needs".

The Hatter lifted her head and fixed Avery with a long look, suddenly looking wide awake, "But you are the _only_ parent he has left," she said quietly, making him blink at her in surprise, "Which counts for a great deal, Captain Avery".

The Doctor eyed him, "Who are you, Henry Avery?" he asked when the man didn't respond, frowning at him thoughtfully, "Respected naval officer, wife and child at home. How did you end up here, wondering the oceans with a band of rogues?" he finished with a small smile, seeing the similarities between Avery and both him and the Hatter, though with some big differences.

"I've set my course now," Avery looked away from them, resigned, "Nothing I do to alter it".

"You know…" the Time Lady began after a moment, glancing up at the stars, "There are few things in the Universe that I have found that transcend cultures and races, not even love, but if you look back through history you'll find that at some point every race has used the stars to guide their way," she turned back to Avery, smiling very faintly at him, "But everything changes. One day technology comes along and it moves from just using the stars as a guide to bigger and brighter possibilities. It's the same way with life, events in our lives happen that change us, and usually when you least expect it, which isn't always a bad thing".

Avery looked away from them, lost in thought as the Time Lords decided to take their leave and turned, walking across the deck to the captain's quarters, slipping inside the room, the Time Lady putting her hat back on top of her head as they moved further into the room. They walked across the room and frowned at the shattered window, both sensing something…off about it, the hair of the back of their necks rising as they came to a stop before it.

"Doctor…" Amy's voice came from behind them as she entered the room, sounding slightly hesitate, "Hatter, um…"

"Shh…" the Doctor hushed her, still frowning deeply at the window.

She paused, looking at their backs, "What can you see?" she questioned, lowering her voice.

"It's not so much seeing, but rather sensing," the Hatter replied, her voice soft, eyeing the window carefully, "It feels like something's looking back at us, watching…"

A loud thunder clap sounded from in the distance, the noise rumbling through the air as they all jumped slightly, looking up as the ship creaked loudly.

"Man the sails!" the Doctor shouted, running out of the room with the Hatter and Amy following right behind him.

…

It wasn't long before the storm hit them, just as the Hatter had expected it to, and they all soon found themselves on the deck, soaked by rain and fighting against the howling winds as the ship was rocked harshly side to side, the rain falling so thick and fast that it was almost blinding. Avery was partway up a rope, hanging off to the side of the ship, while Amy and Rory ran across the deck, just trying to find something to hold onto as the rocking of the ship sent them stumbling around.

"To the rigging, you dogs!" Avery shouted at them over all the noise of the wind and rain. He jumped down onto the deck from the rope, "Let go the sails!" but Amy and Rory simply looked at him blankly, making no move to follow his order, "Avast ye!" he gestured at them to move, and finally they complied, running over to grab the ropes attached to the sails, "Put the bunt into the slack of the clews!"

Amy shook her head, her wet hair whipping around her face as she and Rory set to work pulling the pulley's on the sails, "I swear he's making half this stuff up!" she called to her husband.

"Well, we're going to need some sort of phrase book!" Rory yelled over to Avery, who was trying to raise another set of sails at the other end of the ship, before he was forced to grab hold of the rope, only just managing to stop himself from toppling backwards by the powerful wind.

"Just keep pulling on the ropes!" the Hatter told them over her shoulder, raising her voice to be heard as she and the Doctor struggled to try and steer the ship, the Time Lady clinging onto the wheel with every bit of strength that she possessed, terrified of what might happen to the baby if she was to lose her grip with the storm raging so viciously. She could so easily end up being tossed overboard or end up being thrown hard against something, which could so easily cause a miscarriage. She wasn't going to let that happen, no matter how much wind or rain there was.

"Toby!" Avery shouted, pointing over to his son as the boy emerged from the lower deck, having been told that he was to stay down there were it was safer, "Fined my coat!" he ordered him, turning back to trying to get one of the sails down, "My compass is inside it, boy!" Toby nodded, stumbling back against the force of the wind as he managed to make his way over a large storage chest that was built into the middle of the deck. Avery looked back over to Amy and Rory, "Heave ho, you bilge rats!"

Rory, with his hand cupped around his ear as he tried to hear what he said over all the wind, shook his head at the man, "Rats was all I could hear!" he shouted back to him.

"Just get the sails up!" the Hatter called, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as the couple set to work pulling on the ropes, Amy grunting with the effort.

Toby pulled the chest open and found his Father's coat, draping it over his arms as he began to try and make his way across the slippery deck to Avery, when he stumbled and a loud metal clang rang out as something hit the wooden floor. They all looked up to see the golden crown rolling away from Toby, clearly having fallen out from the coat in the boy's arms, all of them forced to watch on in horror as the crown came to a stop against the side of the ship a short distance away from the boy.

The Time Lady's eyes widened, "No!" she gasped, her head snapping back up to stare at Avery, who was looking guiltily at the crown. He hadn't thrown it overboard; he'd kept it and stashed it away where he knew they wouldn't find it, all because he just couldn't let go of a bit of gold and jewels, even for his son's sake.

A greenish-blue hand appeared from the reflective surface of the crown as they all turned back to watch, horrified and shocked as the siren flew up out of the crown and into the air, her music filling the air and almost seeming to block out the rest of the noise from the storm as she came back down to land before Toby, her arm outstretched towards him.

"Don't let her take you!" Avery shouted urgently to Toby, reaching out his hand, but the boy was already moving towards the siren, looking dazed.

"Someone grab him!" the Hatter cried, already knowing that neither she and the Doctor would have a chance to make it in time to grab the boy, and Rory was staring up at the siren again with the same dreamy expression as he had earlier, Amy desperately holding him back.

Toby reached out his hand towards the siren, inches away from touching her fingers…"No!" Avery yelled, and ran for his son.

But he was too late. Toby's finger's brushed against the sirens and he disintegrated before their eyes with a scream of pain.

"No!" Avery skidded to a stop and half collapsed onto his knees in horror and grief.

The Doctor and the Hatter hurried back down from the wheel, the Doctor grabbing the crown and tossing it over the side of the ship and into the waves, while the Hatter hurried around to help Amy with Rory. The siren disappeared the moment the crown hit the water.

"Let go!" Rory demanded, trying to push Amy and the Hatter off, the two women clinging to his arms to hold him back from doing anything silly, like trying to dive into the ocean after the crown.

"I'm sorry," Avery sobbed, staring at the spot that his son had been only moments before, "I'm sorry…"

"You couldn't give up the gold, could you?" the Doctor snapped at him as Rory calmed down, the Hatter grabbing hold of one of the ropes to keep her balance, "That's why you turned pirate!" he continued loudly, "You commission, your wife, your son!" Avery looked away from him, "Just how much is that treasure worth to you, man?"

Suddenly, one of the sails broke free and swung out, hitting Rory and sending him crashing into the water over the side of the ship.

"Rory!" Amy screamed, running to look frantically over the side of the ship, the Hatter right behind her, slipping and sliding on the wet wood as she went, forcing her to grab hold of the edge of a nearby barrel before she could topple over, "Rory!" she cried again, desperately trying to look for any sign of her husband in the water, "I can't see him!" the Doctor hurried over to her, "Doctor, Hatter! I'm going in!"

"No, you can't!" the Hatter shouted at her, feeling helpless to do anything but watch as she forcefully pushing her soaking wet hair off her face to see Amy starting to pull her coat off, "Doctor, stop her!"

Luckily, the Doctor reached her in time and grabbed the back of Amy's coat, forcing it back over her shoulders as the girl clumsily tried fighting back against him, but it was no use, "He's drowning," he told her, grabbing her by her face to make her look at him, trying to make her see reason through her desperation to get to Rory, "He's drowning!" he raised his voice, giving her a little shake as she stopped fighting him, "You go in after him, you'll drown too. There's only one thing that can save him now".

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked, trying to shove his hands off her, but he kept a hold of her.

"It's the siren!" the Hatter called over to her, "The siren wants him, and she's the only one who can save him now!" she looked around for something with a reflective surface and tried the lid on the barrel, only to find that it was locked. She held up her hand, looking back over to the Doctor, "Sweetheart, sonic!"

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, dodging out of Amy's attempts to stop him as he tossed the device over to the Time Lady, who just managed to catch it before it slipped out of wet fingers, quickly flashing it at the barrel.

"Hatter, no!" Amy cried, trying to push the Doctor away to get to the brunet, realising what she was about to do.

The Hatter unlocked the barrel and lifted the lid. A moment later the siren appeared out of the water, flying up into the air above them, "Rory's drowning!" she said urgently, pointing over to where Rory had fallen into the ocean, "You've got to go get him!"

The siren didn't hesitate, flying over to where she directed and diving into the waves as they watched the water begin to glow with her light before fading after a moment, the Hatter assumed once she had managed to find Rory.

Amy spun back around to glare at the Time Lady, taking a couple of steps towards her as the Doctor let her go, "What…what did you do?" she shouted.

The Hatter grabbed her shoulders, meeting her eyes, "If he stays in there for much longer he's going to die," she said calmly, "This was the only way, Amy".

She shoved her hands off her shoulders, "She'll _destroy_ him!"

"That isn't just a ravenous hunter," the Doctor cut in, shaking his head as he moved to take the Hatter's hand, looking between Amy and Avery as they gathered around the barrel, "It's intelligent. We can reason with it".

"And hopefully, she's keeping them alive somewhere," the Time Lady added, nodding, "If there's even a tiny glimmer of hope that they are still alive, then we have to follow".

"Are you mad?" Avery demanded, staring at them with wide eyes.

"If we ever want to see them again, we have to let the siren take us," the Doctor continued, ignoring Avery's comment as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a nail, "We'll prick our fingers," he raised his eyebrows at Amy and Avery, "All agreed? Yeah?"

Everyone looked to Avery, who hesitated for a moment, before nodding, "Aye," he agreed.

Amy looked back to the Time Lords to find them looking at her questioningly, "Aye," she said.

"Dear?" the Doctor turned to the Hatter.

The Hatter smiled very slightly, forcing more hair off her face as she said a bit more cheerful then she probably should have been, "Aye!"

He returned the smile, "Aye!" he cheered, and grabbed Avery's hand, pricking his finger, followed by Amy, and then the Hatter, who he quickly placed a apologetic kiss on the tip of her finger before pricking it, and then his own.

A black spot appeared on each of their palms as a drop of blood was almost instantly washed away with the rain, but it was enough and a moment later the beautiful, hypertonic singing started, just as the siren appeared before them with her arm outstretched towards them. Dreamily and without a care in the world, they walked towards her, reaching out to take her hand, and disappearing in a brilliant light…

…

The Hatter winced slightly as she awoke to find herself lying flat on her back on something that felt cold against the back of her still soaking wet clothing. She frowned and turned her head to find the Doctor was lying beside her, seeming to be just waking himself, and as he meet her eyes a look of relief swept across his face as he reached out across the floor to take her hand.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, groaning as she rolled onto her back on the other side of the Doctor.

The Doctor pushed himself up, looking around as the Hatter struggled upright, too, "I don't think we've moved," the Time Lady remarked, wincing slightly, realising that the floor they were lying on was made of metal. No wonder it was so hard and uncomfortable. She caught sight of something ahead of her, "Actually, I'm sure of it," she went on as Amy and the Doctor rolled onto their stomachs, following her gaze, "We're in the excite same spot as we were before".

On the wall directly across from them was a large window, through which they could see the deck of the ship and the storm that was still raging on out there, the noise of the wind and rain completely muted from where they were now. It was actually quite odd.

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery gasped, his eyes widening as they all climbed onto their feet, staring outside.

"No, it's real," the Doctor told him, looking surprised himself as his eyes flickered around the metal room, such a strange contrast from the old ship they had been on moments before, "Space ship trapped in a temporal rift".

Amy frowned, shaking her head, "How can two ships be in the same place?"

"It's _not_ the same," the Hatter corrected her, her mind racing with the new information, slowly turning on the spot to get a full view of the room, taking note of a set of stairs that seemed to lead up to a door behind them.

"Two planes," the Doctor agreed, "Two worlds, two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different Universes nested inside each other. Now and again they collide, and you can step from one to the other".

"Okay…" Amy said slowly, nodding, "I think I understand…"

"Well, that's nice," the Time Lady remarked, glancing at her with a small smile, "Because it's really nothing like that at all…"

"But if that helps…" the Doctor shrugged, his attention on the window.

"Thanks," she muttered, rolling her eyes at them both.

The Hatter stepped closer to the window, "It would seem that all the reflective surfaces on the ship have been converted into gateways that lead here," she commented thoughtfully, looking quickly down on the ground to see a bit of metal, perhaps an old bit of framing. She picked it up and threw it at the window, but instead of smashing the glass, it went straight through and came to land on the deck of the ship. Amy yelped loudly behind her, startled, "Fascinating," she breathed.

"Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole world?" the Doctor asked, glancing back to Avery and Amy, before returning his attention back to the window, "Well, this time it's not an illusion".

A loud beeping sound echoed through the ship, making them look up and around, the beeps happening twice in a row before followed by a short lull. The Time Lords exchanged a look and turned around, following the noise over to a set of metal steps behind them.

"The signal?" Amy guessed, recalling how they had come across the ship in the first place.

"It seems so," the Hatter nodded.

"The distress call".

"Uh-huh," the Doctor hummed in agreement, carefully creeping up the steps, just in case anything should jump out at them.

"There was a _second_ ship here _all_ the time".

"Wait…" the Hatter came to a stop just behind the Doctor, forcing Avery and Amy to pause behind her. She frowned slightly, listening carefully, "Can you hear that?" she glanced back to the others, hearing the sound of the sirens song echoing from somewhere in the distance, "I think the sirens here, too".

They reached the top of the steps and the Doctor moved closer to the door, spotting a control panel beside it. He reached out and touched it, and the door slide open to reveal a long dead, decayed body of an alien in a spacesuit that had a large head with large, rodent like teeth and what appeared to be a fin sticking out of the top of it. They all jumped back, surprised, and Avery quickly aimed his gun at the body, but the Doctor pushed his arm back down.

"Dead," he said, his own surprise fading as he took in the aliens remains more carefully. He glanced at the Hatter, but she shrugged, not recognising the race, either. He took her hand and carefully began to lead the way past the remains and into what seemed to be the main control room, Amy and Avery following behind them. There was a control panel with two chairs before it, where another alien's remains were slumped over the panel.

Slowly, the Time Lords moved further into the room, making their way over to the second alien, the Doctor ducking down slightly to take a closer look at the skeleton without touching it as the Hatter retrieved his sonic screwdriver from her pocket, having forgotten to return it, and flashed it over the body.

Amy and Avery looked at the window that was in front of the controls, seeing Avery's quarters through it, "You were right," Amy commented, blinking as she looked back over to the Time Lords, still shocked that there had been an invisible ship there all along, "There was something watching us the whole time," she frowned, glancing at the second alien skeleton, "How long has this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the Captain's to have run out of grog," Avery said, nodding to the alien.

"I don't understand," she shook her head, her frown deepening as she eyed the alien, "If this is the Captain, then what's the siren?"

The Doctor straightened as the Hatter continued to scan, "Same as us," he shrugged, watching her work, "A stowaway".

"She _killed_ it?"

"No," the Hatter shook her head, checking the results on the sonic screwdriver, before looking back up to them, " _Human_ bacteria did this," she waved a hand towards the alien, passing the screwdriver over for the Doctor to see, too.

"What?" she asked, startled and confused.

"Yes, I'm a little surprised myself," the brunet nodded, casting her eyes over the skeleton curiously, resisting against the urge to reach out and touch it, "It was a virus from our planet…well, Earth, really," she corrected herself quickly, "Our _plane_ , is more accurate".

"Airborne," the Doctor added, slipping his sonic screwdriver away inside his blazer, "Travelling through the portal," he gestured with his hand over to the window, "That's what killed it. Didn't get it's jabbbsss…" he trailed off with a grimace, looking completely disgusted. He had began to lean his hand against the control panel…only to end up sticking his palm straight in a mess of clear slime that was coating the surface of the panel. He straightened and pulled his hand away, holding it up to look at it, covered in the slime, "Ugh...look!" he grimaced again, turning to the Hatter.

The Hatter made a face and leaned back from him. All the rocking from the ship during the storm had been bad enough to start making her feel nauseated again, but that and now just thinking about what the slime was, was just too much for her sensitive stomach right now, "Don't come near me right now," she told him quickly, her face taking on a greenish colour as she took a large step back from him, "I think I might be sick".

Amy looked between them, even more confused, "What is it?"

"Sneeze!" he exclaimed, "Alien boogies!" he turned away from the Hatter and tried flicking the slim off his hand, but it was little use. Still completely disgusted, he sighed heavily and whipped his hand on Amy's coat as he began to walk past her, heading for the door.

Amy rolled her eyes, glancing warily at the slimy patch she now had smeared down the sleeve of her coat, while the Hatter took a couple of deep breathes until the sensation of wanting to throw-up passed, though she still felt quite queasy. She followed after the Doctor, making a mental note not to hold his right hand until she had seen him wash it in disinfectant as they left the room, Amy and Avery following close behind them. They began to make their way down a hallway, soon coming across another door as the Doctor hit the control panel beside it, sliding the door open.

They carefully crept inside, the Doctor going first as he pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket as they moved further into the room, quickly scanning the area, which seemed to resemble a hospital to the Time Lady. It even smelt like disinfectant. All around the room where bed's that hang from wires from the ceiling, each one with a motionless man lying on them with their shirts and shoes having been removed. They all appeared to have breathing tubes connected to the front of their throats that went into the bed, while they also had some sort of plastic strip around their abdomens and arms, seeming to be monitoring them.

"McGrath!" Avery suddenly exclaimed as they began to move past the beds, pointing at a man lying on one of them, "He's one of my men".

"He's still breathing," Amy told him, seeing the man's chest rise and fall.

Avery looked around the room, "My entire crew is here," he said, spinning around on the spot, while the Time Lords moved further ahead of them, the Doctor pulling a small rectangular device from off a table, eyeing it curiously, "Toby!" he called, and ran across the room to where his son was lying on one of the beds.

"Rory!" Amy cried, catching sight of her husband on another bed ahead of her, rushing to his side and cupping his face.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor shouted in delight, catching sight of something blue through a plastic sheet that hung from the ceiling behind Rory's bed. He took off running in the direction, bursting through the plastic sheets to reveal the time machine as the Hatter smiled fondly at him, following at a casual pace to give him time to have his own little moment with the old girl. He happily kissed the doors as he reached the TARDIS, relieaved to find the old girl safe and turned around to press his back against the doors, hugging it.

"You are so adorable," the Hatter said to him, amused as she reached the TARDIS, stroking her hand down one of the doors and giving it a small kiss herself.

"We have to get them out of here," Avery frowned, catching the Time Lords attention as he looked over the tubbing connected to Toby. He reached out to undo one of the straps around the boy's stomach…

"Wait!" the Doctor called hurriedly, pulling out his sonic screwdriver again as he and the Time Lady dashed over to them. He quickly scanned the boy's head, "His fever's gone," he determined, and moved across to Rory's bed, flashing the sonic over Rory's body as the Hatter followed.

Amy frowned slightly, still cupping Rory's face, "He looks so well".

The Hatter stood back slightly, noticing a small screen on the side of the bed, "Yes, his vitals are perfect," she agreed, looking thoughtful as she read the results on the screen, before looking up with a frown, "Far too perfect for a man who was drowning only a short time ago. It seems like the siren is keeping him alive, like a life support system, only more advanced".

The Doctor checked the readings on his sonic screwdriver, "His brain is still active," he informed them, slipping the device back in his blazer pocket as he ran his eyes over Rory, "But all its cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse…" he grabbed Rory's palm and opened it to show the black spot, while the Hatter held one of the rectangular device against it, which had a yellow spot in the middle of it that matched Rory's own spot.

"It's a tissue sample," she realised, her eyes widening, shocked that she hadn't made the connection sooner.

He frowned, glancing at her, "Why get samples of people you are about to kill?" he wondered.

"Help me get him up?" Amy looked at the Time Lords.

They began to unstrap him, when a beeping noise started up and they stopped, looking back over towards the doorway as the sirens singing echoed through the room.

"She's coming," the Doctor breathed, looking around quickly for somewhere to hide as he grabbed the Hatter's hand.

They hurried over to where a computer panel was off to the side of the room, the four of them ducking through another plastic curtain so that they were hidden from view, carefully peering around the edge of it as the siren floated into the room and walked across to Rory's bed. Rory, now awake, struggled as she came closer to him, but the siren calmly held her hand above his chest and continued singing, and Rory slowly stilled and seemed to fall asleep again.

"I said so, that the singing was like a drug," the Hatter whispered, watching the scene curiously, "Its anaesthetic".

"What?" Avery asked, frowning at her.

"The music," the Doctor remarked, following along with her thought process, "The song. So she anaesthetises people and puts their body in stasis".

The siren walked away from Rory and made her way over to Toby, raising her hand above the boy's chest as she began singing again. Avery stepped out from behind the panel and around the curtain, raising his gun and aiming it at the siren.

"Avery…" the Hatter began, her eyes widening in alarm as she realised what he was about to do, "No, don't…!" she shouted, but she was too late.

Avery fired the gun and the siren whirled on him, burning bright red and hissing with a high pitched screech, storming towards him. The Doctor ducked around Amy and ran behind the curtain, coming out through the curtain by the bed of another man. The Hatter grabbed Amy's arm and held her back from trying to follow him, resisting against the strong temptation herself as they looked backwards and forwards between the two men, trying to think of something that they could do to help, when the Doctor sneezed loudly, the smell of the disinfectant tickling his nose.

The siren stopped inches away from Avery and turned on the Doctor, still glowing bright red as she held her hands up and a stream of fire shot out between her palms, marching towards him instead.

"Okay, this is different," the Hatter muttered, starting to grow quite worried for the Doctor now, desperately trying to think.

"Fire…" the Doctor blinked, startled, "That's new," he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead as he started backing away from the siren, eyeing her carefully, "Uh…what does fire do? Burn?" he said to himself, nodding as he continued trying to back away from her, "Destroy? What else? Uh…Hatter?" he called urgently.

"Ah…fire, yes…" the Time Lady began, frantically trying to think, when it suddenly hit her. This entire room was like a hospital, she had thought so when they had first entered it. The siren was keeping all the men alive, taking tissue samples of them, the anaesthetic, and now fire? It was all so obvious, "Fire sterilises!" she shouted over to him, finally making the connection.

"Right!" he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled a hanky out, still backing away as the siren continued to stalk him, "I sneezed!" he said to her, waving the hanky around, "I'm all germy!" he blew his nose on the cloth and tossed it onto the floor a short distance away from him.

The siren turned and immediately sent the stream of fire at the hanky, burning it to ash.

Amy suddenly dashed past the Hatter, catching her by surprise as she ran over to Rory's bed, "No, Amy!" the brunet cried, just missing grabbing the edge of her sleeve, "Don't interfere!"

"Don't touch him!" the Doctor ordered her as the siren turned and began to advance on Amy. He shook his head; trying desperately to work it all out, "Anaesthetic…" he started to list off.

"The tissue samples," the Hatter added, trying to help him, "The screen".

"Sterile working conditions…" he continued, nodding, pacing as he pointed over to Amy, "Uh, ignore all of our previous theories!"

"Yeah?" Amy said, scoffing as she tried figuring out how to unconnected Rory from the bed, the siren hissing angrily at her as she neared, "Well, we stopped paying attention a while back".

"Amy, she's not trying to kill them, she's their doctor!" the Time Lady shouted, her eyes widening in alarm at how close the siren had got to her.

Amy stopped and quickly stepped back, looking shocked as she looked back up to the siren, who paused at the head of Rory's bed and the red glow died down again, returning to her greenish-blue glow.

The Doctor looked around the room in a completely new light, "This is a automated sick bay," he explained, spinning around on the spot as he looked at all the men, "It's teleporting everyone on board," the Hatter smiled and nodded along with him, moving to stand by Rory's bed before Amy, "The crew are dead, and so the sick bay has had nothing to do," he stepped closer to Rory's bed, staring at the siren, "It's been looking for humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her," he held out a hand towards her, breaking into a impressed and delighted smile, "A virtual doctor able to sterilise a whole room".

Amy gave him a quick look, "Able to burn your face off," she reminded him.

"But that's not her fault," the Hatter shook her head, smiling slightly as she glanced back to the siren. It really was quite impressive, even if she still had the same downfalls as all computers possessed, "She's only an interface, like a computer that's been programmed. And she's managed to seep through into our plane," she went on, her smile growing wider, "Broadcast into our world, if you will".

"Protean circuitry means she can change her form," the Doctor added brightly, "And become a _human_ doctor _for_ humans. _Oh_ , sister, you're good!" he grinned, pointing at her, highly impressed.

Amy glanced at the siren before moving to try and remove the breathing tube from around Rory's neck, but almost instantly the siren turned bright red and hissed at her again. She jumped back and the siren returned to its normal, calm state, glowing green once more.

"She won't let us take them," Avery remarked, making his way back over to Toby's bed.

"Another downside to her programming, I believe," the Hatter sighed, casting her eyes over the siren, "She's managed to keep them all alive, but I don't think she actually knows how to help them".

"I'm his wife, for God's sake," Amy looked quickly to the Time Lords, struggling to control her frustration, "Why can't I touch him?"

The Time Lady eyed the siren for a moment, "You need to tell her that, Amy," she said, glancing at her as the girl blinked back at her in confusion. She nodded, growing more certain of her idea, "Yes, you need to show her your ring," she reached out and grabbed Amy's left hand, holding it out towards the siren to show her wedding ring clearly, moving it beside Rory's own ring, "She might not be real and her programming might have its faults, but she's still intelligent. She's a doctor; she won't allow anyone to interfere with one of her patients without her consent".

The sirens eyes dropped down to their hands as they waited.

"Come on," the Doctor urged when the siren didn't do anything, simply looking at the rings, "Sophisticated girl like you. That must be somewhere in your core program".

"Look, he's very sick, okay?" Amy tried, struggling to keep her voice steady as she turned back to the siren, "I just want to look after him," the siren looked at her blankly, "Why won't you let me near my husband?" she demanded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

The siren continued to stare at her blankly for a moment longer, before slowly tilting her head and holding out her arm towards Amy, a golden ring appearing around it. She frowned at it, confused.

"That's like a virtual consent form," the Hatter whispered to her, giving her a comforting look as she looked at her. She pattered her arm, "You have to sign it by putting your hand through the ring".

"Rory's sick," the Doctor nodded as Amy hesitated, still looking very confused, " _You_ have to take full responsibility".

Amy turned back to the siren and slowly reached out, putting her hand through the glowing ring. The light grew brighter for a moment before the siren disappeared completely. She quickly looked back to the Time Lords, the Hatter giving her an encouraging nod as Amy rushed around to the other side of the table to where a small panel was on the side of the bed with buttons on it, and hit one of them. Rory suddenly jerked violently, gasping for air.

"He can't breathe!" the Doctor shouted, flashing his sonic over Rory as he continued to gasp for air, his eyes wide with panic and fear, "Turn it back on!"

Amy hit the button again and Rory stilled at once, unconscious, as if he hadn't just been struggling for breathe a second ago, "What do we do?" she asked worriedly, staring down at his peaceful face, "I can't just leave him here".

"He'll die if you take him out," Avery said firmly, looking over to them from his son's bedside. The Hatter sighed heavily and looked down, closing her eyes sadly.

Amy sniffed slightly, turning back to Rory as she ran a hand gently through his hair, "Rory?" she whispered, leaning over him, "Rory, wake up".

Rory grunted slightly as his eyes flickered open, slowly growing more alert his tried to look around, "Where am I?" he questioned, alarmed to find himself somewhere completely alien to him.

The Hatter put a hand on his shoulder, "You're in a hospital…so to speak," she told him, trying hard to keep her voice calm and steady. She paused, glancing across to Amy and the Doctor, before looking back to his face, "And you are very ill," she swallowed, hard, "If you leave, you could very well die".

Amy sent her a quick look for a moment and turned her attention back to him, "But if you don't, you'll have to stay forever," she said, trying hard not to cry.

He frowned up at her, "You're saying that if I don't get up now…" he trailed off.

"You can _never_ leave".

"The siren will keep you safe," the Doctor added.

"And if I come with you?" Rory's eyes flickered backwards and forwards between the Time Lords

He took a deep breath as the Hatter looked away, closing her eyes briefly, "Drowning," he replied, glancing at Amy, "On the point of death".

Rory looked away from them for a moment, seeming to be thinking it all over, before his eyes moved back up to Amy's, "I'm a nurse," he began.

"What?" Amy frowned, not understanding what on Earth he was getting at.

"I can teach you how to save me".

"Whoa!" her eyes widened, startled, "Hold on…"

"I was drowning," he continued, "You just have to resuscitate me".

" _Just_?" she repeated, laughing slightly at how simple he made it sound.

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR, the kiss of life".

"Rory, this isn't a film, okay?" she shook her head, her voice choked by tears, "What if I do it wrong?"

"You won't," he said at once, completely convinced.

"Okay, what if you don't come back to life? What if…"

"I trust you," Rory cut across her, his voice soft.

Amy blinked back tears, desperately trying to get him to see reason, "What about them?" she glanced back up to the Doctor and the Hatter, before looking back down to him, "Hmm? I mean, why do I have to be the one?" the Time Lords looked at each other and slowly began to walk away from the couple, knowing that they needed space, taking each other's hands as they rounded the end of the bed, "Why do _I_ have to save you?" she breathed.

"Because I know you'll ever give up," he told her simply. Amy took a deep breath and slowly nodded, listening intently to every word he said as he began to explain to her what she would need to do.

The Doctor and the Hatter quietly moved further away from the couple, the Time Lady trying desperately not to allow her own emotions get the better of her, not when Amy needed them. They walked over to join Avery at Toby's bed, who was staring down at his son's peaceful face.

"We have to send this ship back into space," the Doctor said quietly to the man, sighing, "Imagine if the siren got ashore?" he shook his head, alarmed at the very prospect, "She would have to process every injured human".

Avery glanced at them, "What about Toby?"

"I am so sorry," the Hatter began, looking at the man sadly, "Truly, I am more sorry then you could know, but…" she took a deep breath, her eyes coming to rest on Toby's face, "He has Typhoid fever. Once you take him, he'll only have a matter of weeks before…" she trailed off, unable to finish.

He looked down for a moment before turning back to them, "What if I stay with him, here?" he asked them, "The siren will look after him," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, considering it as he went on, shaking his head, "I can't go back to England. And what home does he have now, if not with me?"

The Time Lady smiled proudly, "Thinking like a true Father," she remarked, reaching out to lightly pat his arm, glad that something good had come out of the situation.

The Doctor nodded along with her, looking just as proud that Avery was starting to act like Toby's Father, "You think you can sail this thing?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Just point me to the atom accelerator," Avery replied, smiling.

The Doctor and the Hatter laughed, the Time Lady sounding slightly less cheerful then she might have usually as the Doctor lightly pattered the man's shoulder. They turned back around and walked back over to Amy and Rory, the brunet placing a comforting hand on Amy's back as they reached them.

"I know you can do this," Rory was saying to Amy, still looking completely convinced, "Of course, if you muck it up I am going to be really cross…and dead".

Amy laughed tearfully, grateful his attempt to lighten the mood, even if it really didn't help, "I'll see you in a minute," she promised him.

Rory nodded, inhaling deeply as he tried to prepare himself, knowing that it could very well be the last breathe he took.

Amy looked back to the Time Lords, who gave her a quick nod to confirm that they were ready before they started ripping off the straps, Amy pulling off the tube from around his neck. Rory gasped for air, unable to breathe as he was completely disconnected from the bed. The Doctor and Amy pulled him up from the bed, draping his arms over their shoulders, while the Hatter run ahead to unlock the TARDIS doors, throwing them open and stepping back as they quickly supported Rory's body between them and into the TARDIS, placing him on the floor inside the door as the Time Lady slammed the doors shut behind them.

Amy fell to her knees beside her husband and immediately started doing five chest compressions and than giving him a breath as the Doctor and the Hatter knelt on his other side, watching tensely as they held each other's hands.

"Keep going," the Hatter encouraged as Amy lifted her head, glancing at them when there was no change.

She nodded and started compressions again, giving him another five and a long breath, but still Rory remained unchanged.

"Come on!" the Doctor urged, anxiously chewing on the side of his thumbnail, "Come on, Rory!"

"This isn't the end for you," the Time Lady muttered, her hearts racing madly in her chest, "This _can't_ be it!"

Amy pulled back and tried a third lot of compressions and another breath, half crying as she lifted her head to find Rory still unchanged, "He trusted me," she gasped tearfully, shaking her head, "He trusted me to save him!"

"And you still can!" the Hatter told her, tears filling her own eyes, wishing more than anything that there was something she or the Doctor could do to help, but Amy had taken reasonability for Rory, which meant that neither of them could do a thing, and Rory had been so certain that Amy was the one who had to do it. They couldn't just break that final request from him. She grabbed Amy's shoulder, making her look at her, "You _can_ do this, Amy," she said, sounding confident, "Rory believed in you because he _knew_ you could do it, too. Now you have to believe in _yourself_ ".

"Come on, Amy!" the Doctor added encouragingly, "Come on!"

Amy started again, doing another five compression and a breath…but still, nothing happened.

"No!" she cried out, and did another five compression and a breath…still, nothing changed. Rory remained just as motionless as before, the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other fearfully, "Please, please, please, please wake up," she begged, her voice barely above a whisper as she started compression again, "Please, please…come on, come on!" she wept.

The Doctor looked away, pulling the Hatter into his chest as the Time Lady cried silently, burying her face into his shirt, while Amy gave Rory another breath, sobbing against his mouth when it still didn't work. The Doctor fell back on his heels, still clutching the Time Lady to him as Amy slowly pulled herself up to look down at Rory's face…who still wasn't moving.

The Hatter lifted her head from the Doctor and let go of him, tears running down her cheeks as she moved around to kneel beside Amy, knowing that she needed comfort now far more than she did, and wrapped her arms around the sobbing, devastated girl, murmuring soothing words in her ear. Amy immediately fell into her arms, crying into the brunet's shoulder with gut wrenching sobs, when…

Rory suddenly started chocking on water and coughing, gasping for breath as they all looked back to him in shock. He rolled onto his side, still coughing spluttering for oxygen as the Doctor jumped onto his feet in relief, the Hatter's tears turning into overjoyed laughter as Amy quickly leaned over Rory, grabbing his shoulders in stunned relief.

"Amy…" he breathed, looking up to see her tearstained face as she broke into a smile, "Amy, you did it! You did it!" he cheered, pulling her into a tight hug as she buried her face into his shoulder, crying.

The Hatter wiped her face on the sleeve of her top and stood, still smiling widely as she moved to join the Doctor, giving the couple some time together, throwing her arms around him as she reached him. If anyone could beat death, it surely had to be Rory…and Captain Jack, though that was slightly cheating.

….

"I thought I made an excellent pirate," Amy remarked playfully as she and Rory walked up the stairs to the upper deck of the console room, Rory now snuggled in a TARDIS blue dressing gown.

Rory sent her a quick smile, "I thought you were an excellent _nurse_ ".

"Easy tiger," she grinned back at him, laughing slightly as she spun back around at the top of the stairs, looking back over the console to where the Doctor and the Hatter were fiddling with the controls, the Time Lady looking at something on the monitor screen, "Goodnight, Doctor! Hatter!" she called down to them.

The Hatter popped her head around the screen, giving them a bright smile, "Sweet dreams, you two," she told them cheerfully.

"Goodnight, Amelia," the Doctor added, moving around to stand beside the brunet, hitting a button on the controls.

Amy eyed him, "You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me," she accused, suspiciously.

The Time Lady laughed, shaking her head at her, "We always worry about you, Amy," she said lightly, trying hard not to allow her frown to show when she noticed Amy's expression grow grim. She tried to shrug, acting as if she hadn't noticed anything wrong, "It's our job to worry".

She nodded slowly, "Mutual," she said softly.

"Go to bed, Pond!" the Doctor gave them both a stern look, seeing them just standing there at the top of the steps.

Amy rolled her eyes and turned around, starting to walk away, when the Hatter noticed Rory stop her for a moment and say something, Rory's expression seeming very serious. Amy nodded, slightly reluctantly, and continued up the stairs with her husband, disappearing out of sight.

The Time Lords turned their attention back to the monitor screen, running yet another pregnancy scan on Amy, but it still continued to switch back and forth between positive and negative.

"Oh, Amelia…" the Doctor sighed heavily, frowning the inconsistent results.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," the Hatter said, looking determined at the screen, "We'll figure out what's going on with Amy, I promise".

 _ **I apologise for the wait, but I really wanted to try and finish off the next two chapters before posting this, which I have managed to do so, so you won't have to wait very long for the next chapter. Next chapter, our Time Lords dress up, Amy can't sleep, and the Hatter and the Doctor aren't very good at lying. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest review:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **Well, I have actually considered writing a story about the Hatter finding herself in another Universe in which one small thing was changed and it ended up turning that version of her evil, but I haven't quite got around to writing it yet, but it's not quite like your idea. I quite like it, though I would be slightly concerned that it might be a little too similar to the Master's back-story with the Doctor, but with a dash of the Rani's back-story thrown in, too. Thank you for the suggestion and review :)**_


	8. Chapter 8 Bad Night

_**Bad Night**_

Amy sighed as she quietly closed her bedroom door behind her, pulling her dressing gown tighter around herself as she looked up and down the corridor. She had spent the past hour tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep, but she just couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened in America. She needed to tell them, the Doctor and the Hatter needed to know, but at the same time she also knew that she couldn't. River had made that very clear.

She began to make her way down the hallway, deciding to make herself some hot chocolate in the hopes that it might help her sleep; she might even find the Hatter still up. She half hoped so, she enjoyed hearing the Hatter's stories and at least while the Hatter was rambling on about some story Amy didn't think she would be likely to blurt out anything that she shouldn't. That and the Hatter was apparently an expert at telling bedtimes stories, which really shouldn't have been very surprising considering some of the things she came out with. She also knew that the Hatter had been finding it hard to sleep herself; apparently the baby seemed to think that it was time to practice playing soccer whenever the Hatter laid down lately, so it was highly likely that she would find the Time Lady still up and probably in the kitchen, eating a green apple or something. But when Amy poked her head around the kitchen doorway, she found the room empty, no sign of either the Doctor or the Hatter having even been in it recently. She supposed that they could have been in another kitchen, there was several of them, each one from different periods in history, but she really didn't feel like wondering around all of them just to see if one of the Time Lords was still up.

She was just debating with herself on whether or not she should just go back to bed, when the shrill sound of a phone ringing came from down the hallway. She frowned and followed the noise back into the console room, making her way up the steps and over to the phone. She paused and cast her eyes around the room, but still there was no sign of the Doctor or Hatter, which wasn't completely unusual. Maybe they were both fast asleep after all.

She shook her head and picked up the receiver, lifting it up to her ear, "Hello?" she called into it, frowning, "They're not here…" she replied, looking around again for the Time Lords, "…who's speaking?" she tried to hit a fly away as it buzzed around her, distracted for a second, "Uh, sorry, what prince of where?" she swatted the insect again when it continued to buzz around her, growing slightly annoyed when she missed it, "Which one? No, no, no, which prince, not which Wales…" she noticed that someone had left a rolled up newspaper on the control panel in front of her, and quickly picked it up with her free hand, "Um…which year is this?" she asked, slamming the newspaper down on the fly, squashing it on the console.

Suddenly, the TARDIS doors flew open and the Doctor, dressed in a black tuxedo with a top hat, ran into the room, carefully balancing a small, rounded fish tank with a little goldfish swimming around inside it and a cricket bat under his arm. Right behind him came the Hatter, dressed in an emerald green, beaded, flowing gown that reached the floor. She had even curled her hair and clipped half of it up with a hairclip shaped like a star.

"Hello, Amy!" the Time Lady greeted her brightly, catching sight of Amy standing by the controls with a phone pressed against her ear. She closed the door behind her and hurried after the Doctor, lifting the front of her dress to reveal a pair of matching green flats, having been completely against the idea of wearing heels while also dealing with being nine months pregnant. That was just asking for trouble, "I believe that phone call might be meant for us," she pointed with her other hand towards the phone.

The Doctor ran up the steps to the console, still trying not to spill any water out of the fish tank as he went , "Hold this!" he told Amy, shoving the bowl into her arms as she could only stare at them both, handing him the phone as the Hatter joined them. He lifted the phone up to his ear, "Hello!" he called, "Ha! Yes, everything's fine…"

The Hatter grabbed his hand and pulled it back from his ear, "Yes, everything is perfectly fine," she added into the phone, smiling a little to widely for Amy's comfort, "Just great, nothing to worry about…" she covered the receiver and looked worriedly to the Doctor, "Do you think that was a little much?" she whispered to him.

"Maybe a little," he nodded, and she sighed. He lifted the phone back up to his ear, starting to pace as he spoke, "Well, exactly…" he said into it, walking past Amy, forcing her to duck under the phone's cord as it sailed over her head, "Why should you be worrying? Who even mentioned worrying?"

"And I was worried _I_ might have laid it on a bit thick," the Time Lady muttered, shaking her head at him. Honestly, he was worse than she was, which was saying something.

He didn't seem to hear her as he walked back past Amy, once again forcing her to duck the cord, "She's fine!" he assured the person on the other end of the phone, "No, your Mum is…your Mum is _fine_ ," he pressed the phone against his shoulder and spun back around to face Amy, "Don't answer this phone," he told her sternly, " _Only_ the Hatter and I answer this phone".

"Where have you been?" Amy asked quietly, eyeing their formal clothing curiously. As far as she knew, the Hatter hated getting dressed up unless it was strictly necessary, and she didn't seem to be entirely fond of wearing long dresses like the one she was wearing now.

"Oh, it was just a little party," the Hatter said dismissively, shrugging, before she frowned slightly, "Though, _party_ might be a bit of a stretch. No one was even going to do a conga line, I mean, what type of party is that?" she shook her head, as if she had been personally insulted by the fact that there hadn't been a conga line.

The Doctor nodded and pointed at her in agreement, before he remembered the phone still in his hand and quickly held it back up to his ear, "Um, yes, your Mum is here actually…" he said into it, making Amy give the Hatter a questioningly look, who simply sighed and waved a hand towards the goldfish, "But she can't come to the phone at the moment," he went on hurriedly, "Well, she's…busy," he nodded for a moment before pressing the phone against his shoulder and looking urgently to the Hatter, "What's she busy doing?"

"Ah….queen stuff?" she suggested, blinking slightly, before she shook her head at herself and grabbed his arm, a thought occurring to her, "Tell him she's busy dealing with the Commonwealth," she told him.

He raised the phone back to his ear, "Well, you know…the Commonwealth," he said over the phone, trying to sound convincing as, after a moment, he leaned over towards the fish tank and peered through the glass at the goldfish, lowering the phone, "It's your son, ma'am, he wants to talk to you," he held the phone out towards the tank before quickly pulling it back, his eyes widening in alarm, "Oh, we can't let him see you like that….!"

The Hatter shook her head at him, struggling not to burst out laughing, "Sweetheart, that's a _goldfish_ you're talking to," she reminded him quietly, patting his arm, starting to worry that all the stress was finally starting to catch up with him after all these centuries. Honestly, thinking that a goldfish could talk on a phone.

The Doctor blinked slightly, glancing back at the fish, "Oh, right…" he muttered, blushing faintly, just as the phone beeped and rang briefly, signalling another call on the other line. He sighed and raised the phone back up to his ear, "Sorry, I've got another call coming".

The Time Lady stepped over to the controls and typed something into the typewriter, glancing up at the monitor hanging in front of her, "Oh, wonderful," she said sarcastically, looking back across to the Doctor, "The Ambassador is calling".

He winced slightly, casting the phone receiver a wary look, knowing that this wasn't going to be very pleasant as he reached across and tapped a button on the phone's cradle, transferring to the other line, "Hello?" he greeted, trying to sound cheerful, but his cheerfulness quickly faded, "There is not a bit of use yelling, Ambassador!" he said firmly, a hint of scolding his tone, "Your Warrior Chief is trapped in my TARDIS and until you've turned Her Majesty here…" he lightly tapped the glass of the fish tank, peering in through the glass as he continued in the same tone, "…back into a human being, he's staying put. Don't worry, he's perfectly safe…"

The Hatter suddenly grabbed his arm, her grip quite tight, almost painful, and he quickly looked at her in alarm, worried that she might have felt a pain or something in her stomach, but her eyes were fixed on something ahead of her, on the console, "Sweetheart," she whispered, her eyes wide, "I think we have a problem".

The Doctor followed her gaze and found, to his horror, a fly squashed against a rolled up paper that had been left on the console, "Just popping you on hold…" he muttered into the phone, putting the phone back down onto its cradle as the Hatter carefully picked up the newspaper, holding it up for them all to see the squashed fly.

Slowly, they both turned to look at Amy.

"Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did?" the Time Lady groaned, closing her eyes tightly, already knowing that there was no other explanation. After all, Amy was the only one in the console when they had arrived.

Amy shifted slightly guiltily, "I thought it was a fly…" she defended herself meekly.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head, "Well, so much for the slaughter of ten million souls," she remarked, making a slight face as she eyed the remains of the Warrior Chief for a moment before she carelessly tossed the newspaper over her shoulder to land on the floor somewhere behind them.

"What is going on?" Amy exclaimed, even more confused now.

"The Hatter and I were at a party," the Doctor informed her, "There was a slight incident".

"Which seem to happen more often than not to us," the Hatter commented lightly.

"Wait, what?" Amy shook her head, frowning at them both, "So you sneak out at night to parties?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes as she swept her eyes over their formal clothing again, "Is that why you're all dressed up?" the Doctor adjusted his bowtie as the Hatter sighed slightly, running a hand down the front of her dress, the flowing pleats almost hiding her bump when she standing face-on, which was quite a accomplishment considering how big she was getting, "You two never dress up," she continued suspiciously as she pointed at the Hatter, "And you hate wearing long dresses," her eyes widened, a thought occurring to her, "Is River at the party? Did she convince you to wear a long dress?"

The Doctor took his top hat off, "Oh, why would she be there?" he huffed, sounding almost like a child as he walked around the console.

Amy simply followed him, throwing the Time Lady a quick look as she noticed how quiet she had grown, actually pretending to be studying a bit of beading on the bodice of her dress, "Don't, just don't lie to me, Doctor," she told him, rolling her eyes, "You're rubbish at it".

"True," the Hatter nodded, finally giving up on pretending to be looking at her dress to avoid Amy trying to get her to spill.

"Hatter!" the Doctor spun back around to face her, pouting, "You've supposed to be on my side!"

"To be fair, sweetheart," she began, shrugging, "We're both pretty awful liars when it comes to little things like this. Plus, Amy knows us to well".

He sighed and turned back to Amy, who was looking quite smug, "No," he said firmly, "We do not sneak out to parties with…with….with River Song!" he insisted, dropping his hat onto Amy's head.

"And River Song does not pick out my dresses, either," the Hatter added, trying hard not to smile, already knowing that Amy didn't believe a word of what they were saying.

"Hmm," Amy hummed, smirking at them both, "How is she?" she asked, trailing behind the Doctor as he made his way around the console again.

"Fine," the Doctor replied, not thinking before opening his mouth.

"See?" she grinned, looking quite pleased with herself, "Rubbish!"

The brunet shook her head, breaking into a smile, "You really don't do yourself any favours, sweetheart," she remarked, sounding quite fond.

He sighed, "Sorry, but we're in the middle of a thing," he said to Amy, taking the fish bowl out of her hands and carefully heading back down to the doors, the Hatter right behind him, lifting a bit of her dress up again so that she wouldn't end up tripping. This was exactly why she didn't like wearing floor length gowns.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Amy called suddenly from behind them from the top of the steps, making them come to a stop just before they reached the doors, "Doctor, Hatter," she repeated, her voice softer, almost with a worried tone to it as they turned back around to face her. She stepped down the steps towards them, frowning slightly, "I…I need to talk to you…there is a reason why I couldn't sleep…"

The Hatter looked at her in concern, but the Doctor's eyes widened slightly, "…Rory!" he shouted, making both women jump in surprise.

"Don't do that!" the Time Lady scolded him, lightly whacking the back of his head in annoyance, still feeling her hearts racing in her chest.

"Ow!" he yelped, his hand flying up to rub the back of his head.

She rolled her eyes, not in the slightest bit sympathetic, "Oh, I didn't hit you _that_ hard".

"What are you doing?" Amy hissed, staring at the Doctor, startled.

"You've got the serious face on," the Doctor said, pointing at her, "I always shout for Rory when you've got the serious face and the Hatter's busy. Rory!" he shouted again, looking at Amy as if he was afraid that she was about to explode, "She's having an emotion again!"

"My husband, the idiot," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head at him.

"What?" Rory called, pulling his dressing gown tighter around his waist as he ran into the console room from the upper level, looking worriedly over to his wife, "What's wrong, Amy?"

Amy turned back to the Doctor, "Why are you calling him?" she questioned quietly, so that Rory couldn't hear.

"The Hatter's busy helping me with…everything," the Doctor gestured with his head pointedly down at the fish bowl in his hands, "And it's his turn," he nodded back over to Rory.

Amy whirled around to fix Rory with a narrow eyed look, "You have _turns_?" she demanded.

The Hatter frowned slightly as she peered through the glass of the fish bowl, eyeing the goldfish carefully for a moment, deciding that she really didn't want to get involved in the scene unfolding before her, not with an angry Amy, "Ah, Doctor…" she cut in, her eyes widening in alarm as her head snapped back up to look at him, "I think we might have the wrong fish, this one seems a little _to_ fish-like to me".

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed, almost slopping half the water in the fish bowl down his front as he lifted the bowl up to his face, staring through the glass, a look of horror crossing his face, "We've got the wrong fish…we've taken the wrong fish!" he shouted, realising that she was right.

The Time Lady gave him a quick look, " _You're_ the one who was convinced this was the right one," she reminded him, not about to be blamed for this little mistake. She shook her head and pushed the TARDIS doors open, the sound of the people talking and laughing filtering into the room from the party going on outside, "But that's beside the point, we've got to fix this".

The Doctor turned back to look at Amy and Rory, who were both staring at them, "Uh, look, sorry you two, we…" the Hatter cleared her throat, "…I've made a mistake. The Hatter and I have got three hours to save the Commonwealth".

"What happens in three hours?" Rory asked, curiously, really having no clue what was going on, but he was pretty used to just going along with the flow when it came to the Doctor and the Hatter now.

He dashed back over to Amy and plucked the top hat off her head, sticking it back onto his own, "The pet shops open".

"Don't wait up!" the Hatter added, giving them a cheerful wave.

And with that, she and the Doctor hurried back outside, shutting the doors behind them as they tried to save the Commonwealth that all depended on finding the right goldfish. So, pretty much just an ordinary day for them.

 _ **I decided to post this earlier than normal since this chapter is so much shorter than normal and it's not a proper episode, and I almost didn't end up writing it because I found it so hard to find the episode online, but I found it in the end. Next chapter, the Hatter speaks crazy, angry Time Lords, and the Doctor is in for a big shock. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	9. Chapter 9 The Doctor's Mother, Part 1

_**The Doctor's Mother, Part 1**_

The Hatter smiled slightly in amusement as she leant her back against the console of the TARDIS, one hand pressed absently against her ever growing baby bump. It seemed like the last ten months had gone by in a blur…well, bits of it had. Waking up almost every morning throughout those months feeling nauseated and unable to stand even smelling food cooking really hadn't gone by nearly as fast as she had hoped it would, but at least that side of the pregnancy seemed to be settling down now, she just hoped that the last eight months that she had left would go by just as fast. She had always been curious to know what it would feel like, but she had to admit, she really could see the appeal in using Looms to produce children now, far less discomfort and worry that way.

The Doctor was walking around the other side of the console, cheerfully telling Rory about one of their more interesting adventures that the man had missed, "…and then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the _real_ one," he was saying as Rory listened from where he was sitting on one of the jump seats, staring at the rambling man with a expression of dubious amazement, as if he wasn't entirely sure he ought to believe what he was hearing. The brunet tried hard not to laugh at his face as the Doctor continued, oblivious, "Fortunately, the Hatter and I were able to re-attach the head," he laughed slightly.

"Though, it was a rather tense moment there when we couldn't locate all the bolts," the Hatter remarked, sighing slightly as she recalled in the incident in question. The poor Robot King had almost had to live with a half-severed head.

Rory shook his head at them and looked up as Amy appeared from the upper level of the room, walking down the steps to join them, "Do you believe any of this stuff?" he asked her.

"I was there," Amy said a little shortly, sighing as she walked passed his chair and began to head across to the stairs leading beneath the console. Rory and the Hatter frowned, watching her go, concerned.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, waving a hand around at the console in annoyance, "It's the warning lights!" he shook his head, drawing the Hatter's attention back to him, moving around the controls to see the little blinking lights, as well, "I'm getting rid of those," he said to her, tapping the offending lights, "They never stop!" he kicked the underside of the panel.

"Doctor!" the Time Lady scolded, lightly hitting his arm with a stern glare, "Don't kick the old girl, and those lights work just fine, thank you. I checked it over myself the last time they started flashing".

He glared at the still blinking lights, "Then why are they still flashing?"

She rolled her eyes, "Maybe because they're trying to warn us about something?" she reached across the controls and flicked a switch, turning the lights off. She looked back to the Doctor, raising an eyebrow, "Happy now, sweetheart?"

He looked from the lights and back to her, opening and closing his mouth before pointing a mock accusing finger at her, "Now you're just showing off!"

She laughed, lightly kissing his cheek, "You love it," she said, winking playfully as she began to move back around to the other side of the console, frowning slightly as she found that Amy and Rory had disappeared while they had been distracted. She looked around and quickly found the couple quietly discussing something as they stood at the bottom of the stairs on the lower level of the room, both looking quite serious.

Suddenly, there was a loud, rhythmic knock on the doors from outside and they all froze, slowly turning to look over towards it, shocked.

"What was that?" Amy asked curiously, walking back up the steps, Rory right behind her.

"The door," the Doctor replied, exchanging a quick, puzzled look with the Time Lady as he took a step towards the doors, "It knocked".

"Right…" Rory frowned, glancing at the Time Lords in confusion, moving to lean over the railing overlooking the doorway, "We are in deep space…"

"Yes," the Hatter nodded, carefully following behind the Doctor, her eyes fixed on the doors, " _Very_ , very deep space".

There was another rhythmic knock as the Doctor walked closer towards the door, pausing as he reached it, and spinning back around to look at them, "And somebody's knocking," he commented, looking quite excited by the prospect as he mimed knocking on something, while the Time Lady was feeling slightly more wary about the whole thing. He turned back around and opened the doors, only to find a small, glowing cube floating in space before him.

The Hatter gasped, her eyes widening in amazement as she caught sight of the glowing cube, her hand flying up to cover her mouth, "Is that…" she trailed off, her voice sounding higher than normal, earning a startled look from the two humans.

The Doctor broke into a wide grin, looking back over his shoulder to her, before turning back to focus on the cube, "Oh, come here," he urged it, "Come here, you scrumptious little beauty!" he held out his hands towards it, but the cube flew straight past him and into the room, zooming around Amy and Rory as they stood at the top of the stairs, forcing them to duck as Amy yelped. The cube flew back down towards the Hatter, twirling around her head as the brunet laughed, delighted as she watched it fly off again, back over to the Doctor, where it slammed into his chest and bounced off him to land on the ground as he was sent toppling onto the ground beside it from the impact.

"A box?" Rory questioned, eyeing the little cube with a frown.

"What is it?" Amy looked between the Time Lords.

The Doctor popped back up, cradling the cube in his hands as he stared at it in wonder, looking quite breathless as he looked up at the Hatter, "We've got mail!" he grinned excitedly. He climbed back onto his feet and quickly kissed the Time Lady, who looked like she could barely contain herself with how happy and excited she was as the two dashed back up the stairs to the controls, practically skipping, the box still clutched tightly in his hands as they began dancing around the controls.

"It's not just a _box_ , Rory," the Hatter laughed, shaking her head at him as if it was completely absurd thing to even think as she grabbed a lever, "It's a Time Lord emergency message," she paused and spun around from the controls to look at the humans, her cheeks actually starting to hurt from how much she was smiling, "Basically, when there's an emergency or a Time Lord gets into a spot of bother, we just wrap our thoughts into a psychic container…"

The Doctor held up the cube, "…and send them through time and space," he continued brightly, lowering the cube back to his side, "Anyway!" he hurried around to stand beside the brunet before the humans, almost humming with excitement, "There's a _living_ Time Lord outthere," he beamed, grabbing the Hatter's hand and twirling her around quickly, planting a kiss onto her cheek as she laughed. He turned back to Amy and Rory, his eyes very bright, "And it's one of the _good_ ones!"

"Thank goodness for that!" the Time Lady said happily, moving around to the typewriter, "So many of them were so stuffy and arrogant," she paused, something occurring to her, "And then there was the ones that were just plain cold and heartless, like the Rani and the Master. Oh, and my Mother, but I don't think I would go so far as to put her quite in the same category as those two," she remarked lightly, quickly typing something into the keypad.

"You said there weren't any other Time Lords left," Rory reminded them, crossing his arms across his chest.

"There are no other Time Lords left anywhere in the Universe," the Doctor agreed, still grinning, "But…" he tossed the cub in the air and the Hatter easily caught it, "…the Universe _isn't_ where we're going!" he informed them.

"See this?" the Hatter held the cube up for them to see, showing a small image on one side of the cube of a snake eating its own tail, "This sign, the Ourobouros, was the mark of the Corsair".

"Fantastic bloke," the Doctor added, pointing at the symbol, "He had that snake as a tattoo in _every_ regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had that tattoo…or herself, a couple of times," he broke into another wide smile, spinning around on his heel, lightly nudging the Hatter's side as he past her, "Ooh, she was a _bad_ girl!"

The Time Lady laughed, nodding in agreement as she watched him move back around to the other side of the console, "Oh, I recall…" she paused, frowning slightly, "Actually, I don't, at least not a whole lot of it," she sighed, glancing at Amy and Rory as she noticed their curious looks, "The Corsair never could resist getting the Doctor and I drunk whenever we happened to run into him…or her. We even got arrested twice and, somehow, we even woke up to find ourselves in the Bank of England's vaults," she shook her head, breaking into another, almost fond smile, "Oh, but the Corsair was great fun, had a smile that even made _me_ blush".

The Doctor's head popped back around the side of the Time Rotor, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Yes, I don't recall you trying to dispel any of his… _flirting_ ," he said, almost grounding out the last word.

"Sweetheart, the Corsair flirted with _everyone_ ," she rolled her eyes, amused, "Including you, I might add. Besides, he was never really interested in anything more than just flirting, he was too flighty and I was certainly not interested in him or her in that way, either," she flashed him a wink, "Turns out, I already had the only man I could ever be interested in right beside me".

He looked quite smug at that, running a hand through his hair as the Time Lady struggled to hold back another eye roll, knowing that she really hadn't done anything to help his ego. Still, it was the truth, the Corsair had been great fun to hang out with, but aside from the occasionally drunken night that usually lead to a very regretful morning and promises to themselves that they wouldn't do it ever again, she loved the Doctor and had loved him possibly since she was only a teenager. The Corsair and all his charming, roguish smiles just couldn't compare to the Doctor and the way she felt about him. Nor could any other man, as far as she was concerned.

He continued to look pleased with himself as he grabbed a lever, pulling it down. The console sparked and began jolting around, forcing them to all grab hold of the console.

"Whoa!" Rory yelped, his eyes widening in alarm as he held on tightly, "What is happening?"

"We're leaving the Universe!" the Hatter called over all the shaking.

"How can you leave the Universe?" Amy asked loudly.

"With enormous difficulty!" the Doctor replied, raising his voice, "Right now I'm burning up TARDIS rooms to give us some welly!"

"Not the garden!" the Time Lady told him sternly, fixing him with a quick, sharp look, "Don't you _dare_ even think about burning that up, mister!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, dear!" he said hurriedly, flashing her a grin over the controls. How could he? That had been the room they had got married in, "Goodbye, swimming pool!" he reached across the controls, hitting a couple of buttons and twisting a dial, "Goodbye, scullery! Sayonara, squash court seven!" he sighed slightly regretfully, pulling a lever and making the console spark again.

Amy and Rory yelped loudly as a show of sparks burst out of the control panel, the Hatter pulling the monitor around to look up at it, watching as they hurtled towards a large, slightly glowing green planet. They landed on the planet's surface with another sharp jolt, almost sending them toppling onto the floor as the jolting and shaking finally calmed down.

"Okay," Amy breathed, slowly straightening as she pushed her hair out of her face, "Okay, where are we?" she glanced at the Time Lords.

The Hatter broke into a large, excited smile, her eyes almost dancing, "Somewhere neither the Doctor nor I have ever been before," she said, taking the Doctor's hand, looking up to his own eager expression, "Outside the Universe".

Suddenly, the lights began to dim all around the room, leaving them only with the emergency lighting and the flashing red alert lights that had turned themselves back on, still blinking rapidly.

Rory frowned, looking around at the darkened room, "Is that meant to be happening?" he asked worriedly, looking quickly back to the Time Lords.

The Doctor and the Hatter began hitting buttons and pulling different levers, but nothing seemed to happen, "The power…" the Doctor remarked, growing more and more frantic, "It's draining…everything's draining!"

"It _can't_ ," the Hatter shook her head, growing just as alarm and worried as him. She grabbed the monitor and tried to turn it back on, but still nothing worked. She couldn't even feel the TARDISes gentle hum beneath her fingers, "It's not possible for the power to just…drain like that".

And then, even the emergency lighting turned off, leaving them in complete darkness.

"What is that?" Rory looked around, startled. Even the temperature in the room seemed to drop very slightly, as if a heater had just been turned off.

"It's as if the Matrix, the soul of the TARDIS, has just vanished," the Doctor shook his head, slowly looking around the darkened room as he took the Hatter's hand, "Where would it go?"

"And how could it just…vanish?" the Hatter breathed, meeting his eyes.

Slowly, the Time Lords began to make their back down and across to the doors, figuring that there was little point to staying inside the TARDIS. The Doctor carefully opened the door and peered out, before stepping out fully, the Hatter right behind him with Rory and Amy cautiously following behind her. They seemed to have landed on some sort of huge junkyard, bits of old spacecrafts scattered around in piles and even what appeared to be the back jets of a crashed rocket that loamed above them. The air was quite chilly and white mist hang in the air, along with a unpleasant smell that made the Hatter grimace and resist the urge to cover her sensitive nose as they moved further out onto the planets dirty surface. It seemed like the last place the Hatter would expect to find a bunch of fellow Time Lords, even eccentric ones.

"So what kind of trouble's your friend in?" Amy asked curiously, closing the TARDIS door behind her.

"He was in a bind," the Doctor muttered, looking around at all the junk, "A bit of a pickle, sort of distressed…"

"Aw," she mock cooed, stepping over towards one of the piles of junk, "You can't just say you don't know".

The Hatter flashed her a grin over her shoulder, "What, and admit that we don't know _everything_?" she said sarcastically, looking amused, "Not a chance. We are Time Lords," she sniffed, putting on a mock haughty voice that sounded frighteningly similar to her Mother's.

"But what is this place?" Rory frowned, holding his hands out as his eyes flew around, not seeming to be very impressed, "The scrap yard at the end of the Universe?"

"Not _end_ of, _outside_ of," the Doctor corrected, spinning around to face Rory's confused expression.

He continued to look confused, lifting a finger, "How can we be _outside_ the Universe?" he questioned as the Doctor draped his arm around his shoulders, "The Universe is…everything".

"Imagine a great big soap bubble with one of those tiny little bubbles on the outside".

"Okay…"

"Well, it's nothing like that," the Doctor shook his head dismissively as the Hatter laughed, but her laughter quickly faded as he released Rory and walked back over to the TARDIS, "Completely drained!" he sighed, patting the doors, "Look at her!"

"We'll fix her, sweetheart," the Hatter told him comfortingly, moving back to his side, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. She hated to see the TARDIS so…empty, and she knew that the Doctor would be feeling even worse about it then she did, being connected to the TARDIS in a way that she wasn't and couldn't be, "The old girl's unstoppable, just like you," she kissed him lightly, lingering on his lips for a second longer before pulling away.

"Wait…" Amy cut in, leaning her elbow against an old, dirty looking washing machine, "So we're in a tiny bubble Universe, sticking to the side of the bigger bubble Universe?" she said, trying to follow along.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, forcing his eyes off the brunet's face to look over to Amy.

"Not exactly," the Time Lady shook her head, smiling faintly as she turned around to face her.

"…but if it helps, yes," he continued, sending the brunet a small, amused smile as he noticed her roll her eyes playfully. He looked around the junkyard, "This place is full of rift energy," he commented, glancing back to the TARDIS, "She'll probably refuel just by being here".

"This place is very curious, isn't it?" the brunet said thoughtfully, looking around as she slowly spun on the spot, one hand resting on her bump. She noticed a small rock on the ground and bent down, picking it up, watching as she threw it up into the air and mentally calculating its rate of descent as it fell back down to land on the ground once more, "Well, the gravity is very similar to that of Earth's and the air is breathable, or though…" she paused, grimacing again at the terrible smell, "It's rather unpleasant".

"It smells like…" the Doctor began, trailing off as he hopped into an old, rusted bathtub, sniffing the air.

"Armpits," Amy supplied, making a slight face.

He clicked his fingers and pointed at her, "Armpits!"

"Lovely," the Hatter said dryly, carefully skirting around a bit of metal that was sticking out of a nearby pile of junk.

"What about all this stuff?" Rory poked at a dangling, lantern-like light that looked like someone had just tried putting random objects together, "Where did this come from?"

"Well, that is a side effect of being so close to a rift, like Cardiff," the Time Lady looked around thoughtfully, sighing slightly, "Things can get sucked up and spat out on the other side of the rift. Not just objects, even people and aliens can be unlucky to get caught up in it, too".

The Doctor pointed at her, "Not a bubble!" he corrected himself, hopping out of the bathtub, "A plug hole. The Universe has a plughole and we've just fallen down it".

The brunet smiled broadly, spinning around to look at him, "Just like Alice through the looking glass," she remarked brightly, unable to resist.

He laughed, kissing her cheek, "Just like Alice," he agreed.

"Thief!" a woman's voice suddenly cried out from in the distance, "Smiley! You're my thief and smiley!" they all looked up, startled to find a young woman running towards them, pointing at the Doctor and the Hatter with her dark brown hair pilled messily on top of her head and wearing a pale blue Victorian style dress, while behind her an older man and women chassed after her, wearing completely mismatched clothing.

"She's dangerous!" the older woman warned them, "Guard yourselves!"

The woman ran straight to the Time Lords, who had backed up closer to each other as the dark haired woman reached them, practically launching herself onto the Doctor, "Look at you!" she gasped, staring up into his face, "Goodbye! No…" she shook her head, closing her eyes briefly, seeming to be trying to think, "Not goodbye, what's the other one?" and she suddenly grabbed him by his neck and kissed him roughly.

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock as he tried to struggle, desperately trying to push the woman off him, while the Hatter could only watch on, completely stunned, her mouth falling open slightly at the scene she was witnessing before her.

The woman suddenly pulled back from the Doctor, her eyes looking strangely bright, and for a moment the Time Lady actually wondered if she had been drugged as she turned her attention onto the brunet, "No, that's not right…kissing," she frowned, almost to herself as she shook her head, looking unblinkingly at the Time Lady. It was a little unsettling, "Smiley, that's what you do, but…" she suddenly launched herself on the Hatter, though it was thankfully just a very tight hug rather than a kiss.

"Um…okay?" the Hatter blinked, completely confused and still quite shocked by the whole kissing thing. She wasn't entirely sure what she ought to be feeling as she remained still, not that she could even try to hug the woman back if she had wanted to with her arms pinned at her sides. She looked helplessly to the Doctor over the woman's shoulder, who was wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, looking as if he was trying to work out whether he ought to intervene or not.

"Watch out!" the older man said quickly, "Careful, keep back from her…!" he grabbed the women's shoulder and pulled her off the Time Lady, who sighed in relief. The Doctor wrapped a protective arm around her as he eyed the mad woman carefully, Amy and Rory stared at the scene in shock as the older man turned back to them, standing between them and the woman, "Welcome, strangers," he greeted them with a slight accent, smiling, "Lovely. Sorry about the mad person".

"Why am I a thief?" the Doctor asked warily, watching the madwoman as she walked around the older man and woman, looking around at everything curiously. It almost reminded him of when the Hatter had first left Gallifrey, how fascinating she had found everything and how curious she had been, "What have I stolen?"

"Me," the woman replied, looking back to him, "You're going to steal me. No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh, tenses are difficult, aren't they?" she frowned, speaking very fast.

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look, "Well, she does have a good point there," the Time Lady muttered, finding the entire situation very, very confusing and strange. The woman just seemed to jump from one thing to the next within a second. Blimey, was that what it felt like for her companions to try to have a conversation with her?

"Oh, we are sorry, my doves," the older woman told them, stepping forward, slightly hunched over as the madwoman made her way over to Amy and Rory, picking up a bit of Amy's hair and examining it curiously, "She's off her head…" she reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand, shaking it, "They call me Auntie," she introduced, moving on to shake the Hatter's hand.

"And I'm Uncle," the man stepped forward, shaking the Doctor's hand and then the Hatter's, "I'm everybody's uncle…" he gave them a little smile and pattered the Doctor's cheek, almost fondly before doing the same thing to the Hatter.

The madwoman slowly approached them again, tugging the Hatter's leather jacket open slightly to get a closer look at her stomach, staring down at the bump with a large smile spreading across her face. The brunet thought she seemed harmless enough, if not a little…well, mad, but then again, so was she and the Doctor, so she could hardly judge. The Doctor tensed beside her, but the Hatter shook her head very slightly, watching the woman closely and the way she seemed to be quite memorised by her stomach, reaching out to very lightly touch the tip of her finger against it before drawing back just as quickly, as if the contact had sparked her. It almost reminded her of how a child might react to something they had never seen before, curious but also hesitate.

Uncle glanced at the woman, eyeing her for a moment, "Just keep back from this one," he said to them, jerking his head towards the woman, still smiling at them, "She BITES!" he suddenly shouted the last word.

"Do I?" the woman looked up to him, her eyes widening, "Excellent," she suddenly grabbed the Hatter and, before anyone could react, bit the side of her neck, just below her right ear, making the Time Lady cry out in shock more so then actual pain as her hat toppled off onto the ground.

Instantly, everyone began shouting, Auntie and Uncle rushing forward to help pull the woman off the Time Lady as the Doctor immediately started checking her neck closely.

"I'm fine," the Hatter assured him, wincing slightly as she reached up to touch the side of her neck, earning a tender twinge of pain that shot across her skin at the contact. She sighed slightly, wondering if she ought to reconsider her first conclusion of the madwoman being harmless, "I don't think she even managed to draw blood," she commented, trying to sound cheerful, though she really hoped it wouldn't leave too much of a mark. Thankfully, her hair ought to cover it if it did.

The Doctor frowned deeply, shooting the madwoman a quick look as he bent to down to pick up the Hatter's fallen hat, giving it back to her as he made sure to place himself in front of her and the woman, not about to let her get anywhere near the Hatter after that little stunt. She could have done some serious damage and who knew just what she might be capable of?

"Biting's excellent!" the mad woman remarked brightly, smiling broadly, "It's like kissing, only there's a winner".

"Huh," the Time Lady blinked at her, still rubbing her neck as she settled her hat back on top of her head, "I've never thought of it like that".

"Hatter…" the Doctor sighed, giving her a pointed look over his shoulder, "Don't encourage the mad, biting woman".

"It's not my fault I speak fluent madwoman, sweetheart," she shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching very slightly.

"So sorry," Uncle cut in, glancing at the madwoman, "She's doolally".

"No, I'm not doolally," the woman shook her head, "I'm-mmmmm…I'm-mmmmm…it's on the tip of my tongue…" she gasped, before her eyes widening suddenly, looking back over to the Time Lords, "I've just had a new idea about kissing. Come here, you!" she lunged at the Doctor, but the Hatter reacted faster and grabbed the back of his blazer, pulling him back as they dashed over to Amy and Rory, hiding behind them as the couple quickly put their hands out to hold the woman back.

"No, Idris!" Auntie shouted, grabbing the woman's arm, pulling her back, "No!"

Idris stopped suddenly, eyeing the Doctor, "Oh, but now you're angry," she frowned at him, looking slightly concerned as her eyes moved across to rest on the Hatter, "And you're upset. No, you're not," she shook her head as the Time Lords exchanged a confused look, "You _will_ be," she titled her head, thoughtful, "The little boxes will make you angry and sad".

"Sorry?" the Doctor turned back to her, "The little what?" he pushed past Amy and Rory, stepping closer to Idris as the Hatter eyed the woman curiously, "Boxes?" he repeated, confused.

Idris began laughing, staring up at the Doctor's face as she grabbed his chin, "Your chin is hilarious!" she giggled, making him blink at her, startled. She let go of his chin and looked across to Rory, her eyes strangely distant, "It means the smell of dust after rain," she told him.

"What does?" Rory asked, looking very confused.

"Petrichor," she replied simply.

"But I didn't ask," he frowned, shaking his head.

"Not yet," she agreed, looking back to the Doctor with a slight smile, "But you will".

"No, no, Idris," Auntie said sternly, hobbling forward and pulling the woman back slightly, "I think you should have a rest".

"Rest, yes," she nodded, all the while the others continued to stare at her, "Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch," she took a step forward and suddenly, her knees seemed to give way beneath her and she pitched forward. Rory managed to just catch her before she hit the ground, the Doctor quickly moving to help him to lay the unconscious woman down in a nearby wheelbarrow.

"Blimey," the Hatter muttered, shaking her head as she hurried over to check the woman, concerned. The way she was acting, how she seemed to jump all over the place, reminded her a bit of what she was like sometimes after waking up from a regeneration, but she was positive that the woman wasn't a Time Lady. They would have surely have been able to sense it if she was, but there was definitely something odd going on with her.

"Is that it?" Uncle questioned, moving closer to peer at Idris, his voice flat and completely unconcerned, "She dead now? So sad".

"No, she's still breathing," Rory informed him, glancing over to them.

Uncle didn't look entirely pleased by the news, almost grimacing slightly, "Uh, Nephew…" he turned and looked across to something behind them, "Take Idris somewhere she cannot bite people".

The Doctor and the Hatter turned around, only to find an Ood standing a short distance behind them, seeming to have appeared while they had all been distracted by Idris's faint, "Oh, hello!" the Doctor greeted brightly, smiling.

"Well, isn't this a lovely surprise," the Hatter grinned, delighted, giving the Ood a little wave.

Amy turned around, too, only to jump back at the sight with a small yelp of surprise, "Doctor, Hatter, what is that?" she asked, eyeing the Ood warily.

"Oh, don't worry," the Time Lady reached back behind her, patting Amy's arm reassuringly, still smiling broadly at the alien, "That's just an Ood. Lovely species".

"Ood are good," the Doctor added, nodding, "Love an Ood," he walked over towards the alien, smiling brightly at it, "Hello, Ood. Can't you talk?" he asked, frowning slightly when the Ood remained silent, before his eyes travelled down to rest on the orb in its hand, which had a crack running through the plastic, "Oh, I see, it's damaged…" he glanced back up to the Ood, "May I?" the Ood nodded, allowing the Doctor to take the device and unscrew the top of it, "It might just be on the wrong frequency…" he muttered.

"Nephew was broken when he came here," Auntie told them, one hand holding her hip, as if it pained her, "Why, he was half dead. House repaired all of us".

The Hatter glanced back over to her, opening her mouth, but she stopped short as the Doctor put the top of the Ood's communication device back together, making the orb glow. Suddenly, voices filled the air, each one talking over the top of each other, jumbled together, but the Doctor and the Hatter's eyes widened as they listened.

"If you are receiving this message, please help me," one of the voices, a man, spoke loudly and clearly over all the rest.

The Time Lady gasped, her eyes filling with tears as she recognised the voice, grabbing the Doctor's arm as he, too, stared around in shock, "No, it can't be!" she breathed, shaking her head in stunned disbelief.

"Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey…" the man's voice continued as the Doctor slowly began to spin on the spot, pulling the Hatter closer to him, "Tell them that I am still alive! I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet…"

All the voices began to bleed into each other, overlapping until it became almost impossible to even make out what any of the voices were saying, save for the fact that it was very clear that they were all desperately begging for help. The Doctor held the Time Lady closer to him as she shook, her face very pale and with a single tear slipping down her cheek, but there was a small smile on her face as Nephew turned the orb off and the voices faded.

"What was that?" Rory asked after a moment of silence, looking to the Time Lords, "Was that him?" he pointed to Nephew, unsure.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, swallowing, still looking quite stunned himself, "No, it's picking up something else," he glanced at the Hatter, who was still looking very pale and emotional, before quickly casting his eyes around, wary, "But that's…that's not possible," he breathed, "That's…that's…"

The Hatter, not letting go of the Doctor, looked quickly back over to Auntie and Uncle, "We're not the only ones here, are we?" she said, a note or urgency in her tone as she reluctantly let go of the Doctor and marched over to the couple, looking very determined and focused, so much so that they took a step back from her, "You need to tell us, take us to them".

"Show us," the Doctor advanced on them, forcing the couple to take another nervous step back from them, their eyes flickering backwards and forwards between the two very serious looking Time Lords, "Show us!" he demanded, raising his voice slightly.

"Just what you see," Auntie said hurriedly, gesturing to herself and Uncle beside her, "Just the four of us, and the House…" the Hatter frowned, some of her urgency fading to be replaced by curiosity, "Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody?" the woman looked back over to the Ood.

"What do you mean, 'the House?'" the Hatter eyed them as Nephew stepped over to Idris, "What is that exactly?"

She broke into a wide, delighted smile, "House is all around you, my sweets," she informed them, waving her hands around as Uncle hopped on the spot, "You are standing on him," she pointed down towards their feet, and they all looked down at the dirty, slightly muddy ground beneath them, "This is the House. This world," she leaned towards them, looking eager, "Would you like to meet him?"

"Meet him?" Rory exclaimed, his head snapping back up to stare at her.

The Doctor, without looking back to him, held up a finger to silence him, "We'd love to".

Uncle began ushering them to follow him as Auntie continued to grin, "This way," he urged them, "Come, please. Come," he and Auntie turned, starting to lead them away.

Amy stepped closer to the Time Lords, "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing their expression that were caught between concern and hopefulness, "What were those voices?"

"They, ah…" the Hatter began, stumbling slightly over her words as she gave herself a sharp shake, trying to get a hold of herself, "They were Time Lords," she finally managed to get out, swallowing thickly.

"It's not just the Corsair," the Doctor remarked quietly, taking her hand, holding it tightly, "Somewhere close by there are lots of Time Lords," he and the Time Lady set off after Uncle and Auntie, forcing Rory and Amy to hurry to try and catch up with them. As they went, he glanced worriedly at the brunet, "You recognised that voice, didn't you?" he said, lowering his voice to a whisper, having noticed how she had reacted to the sound of the loudest, clearest man's voice amongst the rest of the pleas for help.

The Time Lady swallowed again and nodded, very slightly, glancing at him, "Yes, even after all these centuries," she murmured, blinking back tears that had suddenly sprung back to the corner of her eyes, "My Uncle Emory, my favourite and one of my only nice relatives," she sighed heavily, "He disappeared one day on a mission for the Time Lords when I was only very young, I never knew what happened to him, but perhaps now I will," she broke into a large, bright smile.

His eyes widened in shock, recognising the name. He had meet the man only briefly when they had still been in school and from what he remembered, he had been one of the decent Time Lords, quick to smile and laugh, just like the Hatter, and with a slightly cheeky, playful side that was very similar to her. No wonder she looked so happy, she could very well be getting a part of her family back, one of the few nice ones, and he was going to do everything he possibly could to insure that if Emory was here, they would _find_ him, safe and sound. For her.

…

Uncle led them through into one of the old, crashed spaceships and into a large room where, on one side of the room, a grate was attached over the top of a small platform, a strange green light emitting from it, "Come," he gestured them to follow him as the Time Lords, Amy, and Rory entered the room, "Come, come," he smiled at them as he walked over to the grate, holding out an arm towards it as they trailed behind him, "You can see the House and he can look at you".

The Doctor glanced quickly at the Hatter, who nodded, both agreeing that it might not be the best thing for this 'House' to get a good look at her if they could avoid it. He moved closer towards the grate as she stood slightly back, watching as he leaned over it, kneeling on the edge of the platform as the green light lit up his face, "I see…this asteroid is sentient," he commented, nodding.

"How interesting," the Hatter said thoughtfully, though the news did make her feel slightly wary.

Auntie smiled slightly, "We walk on his back," she told them, almost seeming excited about the idea as the Doctor straightened, "Breathe his air, eat his food…"

"Smell its armpits," Amy muttered, earning a quick, amused smile from the Time Lady.

"And do my will," Auntie and Uncle suddenly said in unison, straightening stiffly, their expressions blank as they spoke in the same refined, man's voice that was quite unlike their own voices. The Doctor looked back to them, alarmed, and slowly took a step back from them as the Hatter frowned deeply, "You are most welcome, travellers," the voice continued.

"Doctor….Hatter…that voice…" Amy began, hesitating slightly as she glanced at them, "That's the, um, asteroid talking?"

"Quite so," the Hatter nodded, her eyes still fixed on the expressionless and still Auntie and Uncle, "I don't believe I've come across a talking asteroid before. How…interesting".

"So you're like ah…." The Doctor stepped down from the platform, looking around the room, moving back over to the Time Lady's side to take her hand, "Sea urchin," he remarked thoughtfully, glancing down at the dirty floor, "Hard outer surface, that's the planet we're walking on. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you?"

"That is correct, Time Lord," the House replied.

The Time Lady raised her eyebrows slightly, "Oh, so you have meet other Time Lords before?" she asked carefully, something about the whole thing just not feeling right with her. If there was Time Lords around here, then where were they? Why couldn't she or the Doctor sense them?

"Many travellers have come through the rift, like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break".

She frowned again, glancing quickly to the Doctor. What did that mean, 'repair them when they broke?' Perhaps the wording was slightly off, but even still, it just didn't sit right with her. When a Time Lord broke, then surely that had to mean regeneration or possibly even something so bad that regeneration couldn't even fix them, but it still seemed like a very odd way to say it and the House wouldn't have needed to repair them, it wouldn't have been _able_ to if regeneration couldn't save them. Not even the Time Lords had found a way to heal a Time Lord that was beyond regeneration, well, not without serious consequences and the right circumstances, but even then the consequences were still so big that most Time Lords would never dream of doing it. And then there was the whole Auntie, Uncle, and Nephew thing, exactly how did the House 'repair' them, especially when it seemed like they were all in a bit of a mess as it was? Auntie could barely walk and Uncle seemed to walk strangely too, so what did that even mean?

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly, "So there are Time Lords here, then?" he said hopefully to the House, looking quickly back up to Uncle and Auntie.

"Not anymore," House told them, "But there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by".

"Well, there won't be any more after us," he said, nodding to the Hatter, "Last Time Lords," he clapped his hands together, deciding not to mention the fact that the baby wouldn't technically be classed as a Time Lord, but as a Gallifreyan. A Time Lord had to attend the Academy before they could earn that title, though by Gallifreyan custom it would still be considered to be a Lord or Lady due to both his and the Hatter's so called 'noble' rank of birth, "Last TARDIS," he sighed slightly.

"A pity. Your people were so kind…"

The Hatter frowned again, wishing she could agree with that. While the Time Lords did do some good things before the Time War changed them, they had still chosen to remain more like outsiders to the Universe rather then play an active role in it when they could so easily have helped, and if the Time War had taught her anything it was that the Time Lords had been going down that dark, corrupted path long before the Time War had started. They had all become so fixated in the belief that they were superior over such beings like humans, that she doubted it would have been very hard for the Time War to change them as it had. Not all of them had been like that, of course, but a large part had held that belief, including her own Mother, and when almost an entire planet believed in something that strongly over the course of many, many centuries, it was near impossible to convince them otherwise. Romana had tried, so had she and the Doctor, but nothing they could have done would have changed things.

"…be here in safety, Doctor, Hatter," the House went on, the voice growing almost kind and gentle, but it only made the Time Lady frown deepen, casting a quick look over to Nephew as the Ood entered the room, "Rest. Feed, if you will".

Auntie and Uncle blinked as they were released by the House's influence, glancing at each other.

"We're not _actually_ going to stay here, are we?" Rory asked quietly, looking sceptically to the Time Lords.

"Well, it seems like a friendly planet," the Doctor shrugged, pausing, "Literally…"

The Hatter gave him quick look, not entirely convinced herself as she turned back to Auntie and Uncle, "I hope you don't mind, but would it be alright if we took a look around?" she flashed them a friendly smile, hoping it would hide just how wary she truly felt.

"You can look all you want," Auntie nodded, returning the smile, "Go!" she pointed over towards the doorway they had entered through, "Look," she hobbled over to Amy and cupped her face. The Doctor and the Hatter frowned slightly, noticing that one of her arms looked quite big and masculine compared to her other arm, with large, thick fingers, "House loves you," she said to her as Amy tried to lean back from her.

The Doctor looked at the Time Lady, who nodded very slightly, before he glanced back to Amy and Rory, "Come on then, gang," he clapped, "We're just going to…er…see the sights," he took the brunets hand and began to head out of the room, Amy and Rory quickly following.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter made their way through the many old corridors of the ship, Amy and Rory trailing behind them in the dim light, when the Time Lady paused, frowning slightly as she heard the distant cry of, 'Thief' and 'Smiley' ring out through the corridors. The Doctor came to a stop beside her and they exchanged a quick look.

"Shush, shush, shush!" he held his finger up to silence Amy and Rory as they were forced to come to a stop behind them, listening carefully. The Hatter couldn't help but feel sorry for the clearly distressed woman, regardless of the fact that her neck still felt a bit tender after her bite.

"So, as soon as the TARDIS is refuelled, we go, yeah?" Rory said after a moment, seeming to be a little anxious about wanting to leave.

"No!" the Doctor shook his head, glancing back to them, "There are Time Lords here, we heard them…"

"Including my uncle," the Hatter added, still trying hear for anything else, maybe even a whisper of another Time Lords mind.

"They need us," he finished, nodding.

"You told me about your people, and you told me what you two did…" Amy began, her voice gentle.

"Yes, yes," he sighed, turning back around to face them properly, "But if they're like the Corsair and the Hatter's uncle, they're good ones and we can save them," he broke into a bright, hopeful smile.

"I'm certain I can make my uncle understand," the Time Lady agreed, her eyes looking almost as bright and hopeful as the Doctor's, "He was always a reasonable man and he'll listen to me".

"And then what?" Amy questioned, staring at them as if they were mad, "Tell them that you destroyed the others?"

"We can explain," the Doctor told her, giving her a small frown as the Hatter flinched. He pulled her closer to him, "Tell them why we had to," he and the brunet turned their backs on them, starting to walk off down the corridor.

"You want to be forgiven," she said suddenly, realising that there was a whole other reason for why they were both so desperate to find these other Time Lords.

He stopped, his shoulders slumping as he lowered his head. The Hatter put a hand on his arm, giving him a comforting look before she looked back over her shoulder to Amy, "Isn't that what everyone wants?" she replied, her voice soft.

Amy eyed them for a moment longer, seeing how much it meant to them as she slowly nodded, taking a deep breath, "What do you need from me?" she asked.

The Doctor straightened and pattered down his blazer, "My screwdriver," he said, glancing back over to them, "I left it in the TARDIS".

"It ought to be in his blazer," the Hatter shot him a fond look. It wouldn't be the first time he had left the sonic screwdriver lying about or in one of his jackets for her to usually have to find for him, since he really was rubbish when it came to looking for things he had lost. From what she could tell from having past male companions, it seemed to be a common trait amongst men.

Rory frowned slightly, "You're wearing your jacket," he pointed out.

"Yes, but it's in his _other_ one," she nodded, smiling slightly.

"You have two of those?" he blinked, looking back to the Doctor.

Amy sighed, shaking her head at them, "Okay, I'll get it," she agreed, before fixing the Doctor with a serious look, "But Doctor, listen to me. Don't get emotional because that's when you make mistakes and if the Hatter is busy trying to keep you calm, she won't be able to concentrate on whatever else is going on," she looked back and forth between them, knowing that the Hatter instinct was always to try and help those in distress, and if that happened when they needed to be focusing on something else, it would make them both an easy target.

The Doctor gave her a mocking salute, "Yes, boss".

The Hatter smiled; quite amused that Amy was trying to tell _them_ what to do as she gave her a dramatic curtsy, though it was slightly ruined by the fact that the Doctor had to help pull her back up when she almost toppled forward onto the ground. Blushing and trying very hard to ignore all of their attempts to cover their laughter, she tried to scrap together a bit of her dignity by fixing Amy with a mock haughty look, "As you wish, my lady".

"Are you alright, dear?" the Doctor looked at her worriedly, the corner of his mouth twitching as he kept a hold of her arm.

She sighed heavily, "Apparently, I've now reached the stage in my pregnancy that I can't even curtsy lowly without almost falling onto the ground," she said with a hint of annoyance in her tone, "I've been able to curtsy so low that my knees can touch the ground since I was four years old, now I can't even do that".

"Why would you need to curtsy that low?" Rory asked curiously, having been told all about some of the customs that Time Lords had, including curtsying or bowing to each other, depending on that person's station.

"I've never had to, but I was still able to when I wanted to _really_ annoy my Mother by exaggerating my curtsy or just to make fun of it. Well, I supposed I ought to have known this would happen soon enough".

Amy, still smiling, shook her head at the brunet as she reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her mobile phone, "Call you from the TARDIS," she said, tossing the phone to the Doctor, who caught it without fumbling with it. She glanced at Rory, "Rory, look after them," she ordered, pointing sternly back to the Time Lords as she turned and headed back down the corridor that they had come down, disappearing around a corner.

Rory opened his mouth to say something before closing it, watching her go, clearly reluctant to just let her go off on her own. The Doctor grinned at him, knowing that look well, "Rory, look after her," he told him, winking.

Rory blinked slightly before breaking into a smile, nodding as he ran off after his wife. The Time Lords exchanged a small, amused look before continuing on their way off down the corridor, the hallway growing narrower as they went with bits of metal and more junk piled up against the side of the walls, forcing them to slow their pace and take more care as they went. After a few minutes, Amy's phone began ringing and the Doctor fished it out of his pocket, answering it.

"Hey," Amy's voice came over the speaker, "We're here. Screwdriver is in your jacket pocket, yeah?"

He grinned, glancing at the Hatter as he pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, "Yeah, it's around somewhere," he tossed the sonic in the air and caught it, "Have a good look".

"She's not going to be very happy when she finds out what we did," the Hatter remarked, amused as he ended the call and tucked the phone away inside his blazer.

"Oh, I know," he said, still grinning as he raised the sonic screwdriver and activated it, remotely bolting the TARDIS doors.

They set off down the hallway once more, hand in hand as they made their way into a room and came to a quick stop, staring around, just knowing that they were getting closer to finding the Time Lords, though there was still no sign of them anywhere.

"Come on…" the Doctor muttered, his eyes flying around the room, "Where are you? Now, where are you all?" he closed his eyes, trying to listen, "Where are you?"

The Hatter did the same, closing her eyes tightly and taking a deep breath, allowing her senses to take control, when she heard it. A jumbled whisper of voices, to mixed up for her to get a firm idea of exactly what they were saying, but that was hardly the point. Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed the Doctor's hand, slowly turning on her heel to face a curtain of mismatched fabric across the other side of the room, "Over there, sweetheart," she murmured, pointing at the curtain.

They approached the curtain, almost hesitantly before the Doctor pushed the curtain's apart, frowning at the sight that greeted them, "Well, they can't all be in here…" he commented, eyeing the small blue cupboard that was built into the wall of the small alcove.

"I suppose it could be a TARDIS in disguise," the Time Lady said thoughtfully, though she was looking at it doubtfully. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, "My TARDIS quite often disguised itself as a cupboard…but not one that small or high," she added, her doubt creeping into her voice. She was certain it wasn't a TARDIS, but she very dearly hoped that the only other possibility wasn't correct.

"Maybe it's transcendental?" he suggested, but even he didn't seem to be convinced by the idea. He meet her eyes, both growing very concerned now as they sensed that behind those doors where the Time Lords, the feeling growing stronger now that they stood right outside it. Slowly, he reached out and pulled on the handles, feeling dread wash over them as the doors opened to reveal two shelves stacked with nine little glowing massager boxes, the last words of each of their owners still calling out for help.

The Hatter closed her eyes tightly, grabbing the Doctor's arm as she felt a wave of grief wash over her. She should have known better then to allow herself to hope that there were other Time Lords still left, to believe that her uncle might be amongst them. She shouldn't have allowed herself to fool herself into hoping, not for a second, but she had because both she and the Doctor had been so desperate to believe that there could still be others out there, that maybe they weren't alone, that they had allowed themselves to be fooled so easily all because of one Time Lords distress box.

The Doctor stared up at all the boxes, his face growing pale, when he tensed as the horrible truth hit him. They had been brought here under the belief of more Time Lords, but this lot hadn't just died from an accident, the chances of that were simply impossible. He swallowed, feeling ill as he realised that he had brought the Hatter and their unborn child here, to a place where so many others of their people had possibly been murdered, endangering them both and placing them into a possibly deadly situation. He felt a shadow fall over them and he grabbed the Hatter, pulling her closer to him as he glanced over his shoulder to find Auntie and Uncle had snuck up behind them while they had been distracted by the cubes.

"Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collect," he said softly, watching as the Hatter reached out and grabbed one of the cubes off the shelves. She looked down at the symbol on the side of it for a long moment, her face blank as she traced it with her thumb before she tucked it away inside her jacket pocket. He felt his hearts break looking at her, seeing how hard she was trying to push how she felt away until later, "Nice job," he continued flatly, "Brilliant job. Really thought we had some friends here…but this what the Ood translator picked up," he waved a hand towards the cubes.

"The pleas for help from those who have been dead for _centuries_ ," the Hatter breathed, turning around to face the pair, her expression growing darker, "So tell me…" she began, her voice filled with barely suppressed anger as she stepped closer to them, "Tell me about all the Time Lords you have lured here. How many?" she demanded, glaring furiously as she advanced on them, forcing them to back away from her, actually looking quite frightened, "What happened to them?"

"House," Auntie said hurriedly, her eyes wide, "House is kind and he is wise…"

"House repairs you when you break!" the Doctor cut across her, storming over to them, just as furious as the Time Lady, "Yes, we know!" he shouted.

"But how does that work?" the Time Lady narrowed her eyes at them, resisting the urge to shout at them with everything she had, feeling her entire body shaking with anger. She hadn't felt this furious in _years_ , "How does the House fix you?"

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, flashing it at Uncle, eyeing him, "You've got the eyes of a twenty year old," he said, his voice lowering slightly.

"Thank you," Uncle smiled slightly, though he still looked slightly unsure of them both.

"No," he shook his head, staring at him intently, "Oh, no, I mean it literally. Your eyes are thirty years younger than the rest of you".

The Hatter frowned suspiciously and grabbed the man's hat, pulling it off roughly to reveal a pointed, blue alien ear sticking out of the side of his head, the scars of where it had been stitched clearly visible, "And then there's your ears," she remarked, her voice growing flat, "They don't match, not in the slightest".

He flashed his sonic at the man again, "Your right arm is two inches longer than the left," he went on, almost glaring, "And how's your dancing? Because you've got two left feet".

"You've been made up of different people, like a patchwork," the Time Lady cast her eyes over them both, shaking her head in disgust, realising just _where_ those body parts had come, "I imagine that you two have been rebuilt and patched up so many times now that there's nothing left of the people you once were".

The Doctor put his sonic back inside his blazer and turned to Auntie, "I had an umbrella like you once," he commented, grabbing her larger arm.

"Oh, now, it's been…it's been a great arm for me, this…" Auntie told them, holding her arm up to show them, her sleeve slipping down to reveal a snake tattoo on the skin, eating its own tail.

The Hatter's eyes widened, catching sight of the tattoo, "The Corsair…" she gasped, horrified.

"He was a strapping big bloke, wasn't he, Uncle?"

"Big fellow," Uncle agreed, nodding.

"I got the arm," she informed them, not seeming to notice the horrified expressions on the Time Lords faces, "And then Uncle got the spine and the kidneys…"

"Kidneys," he repeated, turning back to the Doctor and the Hatter.

The Doctor looked back and forth between them as the Hatter closed her eyes tightly, "You gave us hope, and then you took it away," he glared at them, "That's enough to make anyone dangerous," Auntie and Uncle leaned back from them nervously, "God knows what it will do to us," his voice grew softer, "Basically…RUN!"

Auntie jumped at his sudden shout and turned, running out of the room as Uncle remained behind, eyeing the Doctor and the Hatter as he backed away from them, "Poor old Time Lords," he grinned at them, "Too late. House is to cleaver".

The Hatter glared after him as he turned, running off after Auntie, resisting the urge to kick at the wall, knowing that it would only hurt her foot rather than relieve any anger she felt. She sighed heavily and looked back to the Doctor, putting a hand on his arm, "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He closed his eyes tightly, pulling her into his arms, "We need to leave," he said into her ear, "You're in danger while we're here".

"So are you, sweetheart," she reminded him gently, pulling back to see his face, "And you didn't answer my question: are you okay?"

"Are you?"

"Not in the slightest bit," she admitted at once, "And I imagine that once my anger starts to fade, I will be even less okay, but for now, that anger is keeping the grief at bay," she sighed again, already feeling the anger starting to fade to be replaced by the deep sadness beneath, not just for her own Uncle, but for all those other Time Lords who had meet their end here.

"I'm so sorry…" he started to say, looking at her sadly.

She shook her head, "I grieved for him centuries ago," she cut across him, "At least now I know what happened to him, even if it was far more horrific then I had imagined".

Amy's phone began ringing and the Doctor sighed, reluctantly pulling away from the hug and retrieving the phone from his pocket, answering it.

"No sonic screwdriver," Amy's voice came over, a bit of annoyance in her tone, "Also, the doors seemed to have locked behind us. Rory thinks there's a perfectly innocent explanation, but I think you lied to us…"

"Sorry, we had Time Lord business to attend to," the Hatter told her, probably sounding a bit more blunt then she meant to.

"Needed you out of the way," the Doctor added.

"What, we're not good enough for your smart new friends?"

"The boxes will make you angry and you sad," he muttered, frowning as he looked at the Hatter, "How could she know?"

"Doctor, what are you talking about?"

"I think we need to have a little chat with someone," the Hatter said thoughtfully, glancing at the phone in his phone, "Amy, you and Rory stay there, please. We've got something we have to do".

The Doctor clicked the phone off and slipped it back inside his pocket, grabbing the Hatter's hand as they dashed out of the room and off down the hallway.

….

The Time Lord ran back through the hallways until they came to a large room, instantly spotting Idris sitting on the floor inside a large, metal caged area at the back of the room with her eyes closed.

"How did you know about the boxes?" the Doctor asked her at once, eyeing her carefully as they neared the bars of the cage, his voice raised slightly, "You said that they'd make me angry and the Hatter sad. How did you know?"

"Doctor, calm yourself," the Hatter said soothingly, putting a hand on his arm. She wanted answers just as much as he did, but she still didn't think that shouting at a mentally disturbed woman would do them any good. He paused and took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper under control.

"Ah," Idris said softly, her eyes still closed as a small smile crossed her face, "It's my thief and his smiley".

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded, but this time he tried to keep his voice level as the Time Lady squeezed his arm comfortingly.

"Hmm," her smile grew wider and her eyes opened, looking up to them through the bars of the cage, "It's about time".

He began pacing, unable to stand still, "I don't understand," he shook his head, looking back over the woman, "Who are you?"

"Do you not know me?" she frowned, looking slightly upset as her eyes drifted over to the Hatter, "Not even you, Hatter?" the Time Lady looked at her curiously, struck by the sudden feeling of familiarity about her, but she was certain she had never seen her face before, "Just because they put me in here?" she raised her eyebrows at them.

The Doctor stepped back over to the cage, taking the Hatter's hand, "They said you were dangerous," he told her.

"Not the _cage_ , stupid," she rolled her eyes at him, raising herself onto her knees, looking through the bars as she pressed her fingertip against the side of her face, "In _here_ ," she clarified, and put her face in the gap between the bars, smiling up at them again, almost seeming to be amused, "They put _me_ in here. I'm the…oh, what do you call me?" she asked, frowning deeply again, looking slightly frustrated when she couldn't seem to find the right word, "We travel," she said after a moment, "I go…" she breathed out, doing a rather good impression of the TARDISes wheezing.

The Hatter blinked at her, "Wait…the TARDIS?" she said slowly, staring at her, while the Doctor looked like he was trying not to laugh at the idea.

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Yes, that's it. Names are funny," she looked back to them, breaking into another bright smile, "It's me," she pulled herself onto her feet by using the bars, peering through another gap to them, " _I'm_ the TARDIS".

"No, you're not!" the Doctor shook his head, turning away from her, glancing at the Hatter, but the Time Lady was still staring at the woman intently, "You're a bitey, mad lady," he continued, waving a hand around, "The TARDIS is up and downy stuff in a big blue box".

"Yes, that's me," she agreed, pointing at him through the bars, "A Type 40 TARDIS," the corner of her mouth twitched, looking at him, "I was already a museum piece when you two were young, and the first time you touched my console you said…"

He froze, his back still turned, completely stunned, "I said you were one of the most beautiful things I had ever known," he breathed.

She smiled softly at him, her eyes coming to rest on the Hatter, who looked almost just as stunned, "And then you turned to the Hatter and told her that she was the _first_ most beautiful thing you had ever seen," she commented, almost fondly.

The Hatter laughed, recalling it. She had blushed bright red at that little compliment that she couldn't look him in the eyes until she felt her cheeks cool down, which had taken quite a while. She and the Doctor had snuck away while their history class was on a trip to the Capital museum when they had been one hundred and fifty. They had soon stumbled across the TARDIS section and the Doctor, being so curious, had managed to convince her to sneak into one of the TARDISes on display, and they had instantly fallen in love. After that, they had taken every chance that they could to try and sneak back to the same exhibit, spending hours just sitting on the floor of the console room, talking about what they would do and where they would go when they left school, all the amazing adventures that they would go on, completely unaware that they would have to wait centuries before being able to travel together.

"I ought to have known back then how you felt about me," the Time Lady smiled faintly, looking over to the Doctor, who stepped back over to her and took her hand, "You always have been a sweetheart".

"I was a teenage boy alone with the girl of his dreams," the Doctor returned the smile, squeezing her hand, "How could I resist complimenting you every chance I got?" his smile turned cheeky as he pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear, "And you do look adorable when you blush, dear".

"Oh, hush you," she mock scolded, feeling a blush creeping over her cheeks.

"I was very disappointed when we left without Smiley," Idris told the Doctor, drawing their attention back to her, "But I knew you would find each other again," she smiled, looking between them both fondly, "I just had to wait. I stole him just as much as you stole his hearts…" she continued, her smile brightening as she looked back to the Doctor, "And he stole me".

"I _borrowed_ you," the Doctor corrected automatically, wrapping his arm around the Hatter's waist, a hand pressed against the side of her bump.

"Borrowing implies the intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would _ever_ give you back? You _or_ your Smiley".

The Hatter stared at her, the truth of what she was saying finally fully dawning on her, "So, you really are…the _TARDIS_?" she breathed, shocked and amazed.

"Yes".

" _My_ TARDIS?" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief.

" _My_ Doctor," Idris grinned, "His Hatter. Oh!" she gasped, her grin turning into a smirk, "We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock," she backed away from the door, waiting as the Doctor continued to stare at her, completely stunned. Slowly, he reached inside his pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the cage door. The door swung open and Idris stepped out, walking closer to the Time Lords as she looked at them closely, almost seeming to be examining them, "Are all people like this?" she questioned after a moment.

"Like what, exactly?" the Hatter raised her eyebrows, curious.

"So much bigger on the inside," she replied, "I'm…" she moved past them, growing frustrated again as she found it hard to find the right word, "Oh, what is that word?" she frowned, moving away from them as they turned to watch her go, "It's so _big_ , so complicated. It's so sad…" she whispered.

"But why?" the Doctor shook his head, eyeing her, "Why pull the living soul from a TARDIS and pop it in a tiny human head?" Idris turned back around, walking over to them, "What does it want you for?"

"Oh, it doesn't want _me_ ," she waved him off, picking up a lock of the Hatter's hair and sniffing it curiously before releasing it.

"How do you know?"

"House eats TARDISes".

"What?" the Hatter's eyes widened, startled and alarmed, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. It's something I heard him say," she nodded to the Doctor.

"When?" the Doctor frowned slightly, certain he hadn't said anything like that.

"In the future".

He eyed her, raising his eyebrows, "House eats TARDISes?"

"Oh, there you go," she smiled broadly at him, reaching up to press her thumb against his lips, silencing him as she looked over to the Hatter, "What are fish fingers?"

"When do I say that?" he managed to get out around her thumb, blinking at her.

"Any second".

"Oh, of course!" the Hatter suddenly cried, her eyes widening in realisation, looking as if she was resisting hitting herself as Idris lowered her finger from the Doctor's mouth, "I am so slow today! The House, its feeds off the rift energy and TARDISes are just filled to bursting with it, making them a perfect meal for House".

"And not _raw_ ," the Doctor added, speaking just as fast as the brunet had, "All lovely and cooked. Processed food. Mmm…" he smiled slightly dreamily, "Fish fingers".

"And custard," the Time Lady reminded him, smiling brightly, "Can't forget the custard, sweetheart".

Idris looked at them curiously, "Do fish have fingers?" she asked, almost eagerly.

"But even still," the brunet continued, looking very thoughtful as she glanced at the Doctor, "The House can't just _eat_ a TARDIS, it would destroy it…" she paused, her eyes widening in realisation, "Unless, of course…"

"Unless you deleted the TARDIS Matrix first," Idris cut in, nodding along with her.

The Doctor laughed slightly, "So it _deleted_ you?"

"But House can't just delete a TARDIS consciousness," she went on, speaking very fast, just as the Hatter opened her mouth to answer, "That would blow a hole in the Universe. So he pulls out the Matrix, sticks it in a living receptacle and then it feeds off the remaining Artron energy…oh!" she gasped suddenly, her head snapping over to the Time Lady, "You were about to say all that…" she smiled at her, "I don't suppose you have to now".

The Hatter began laughing, when a thought occurred to her that stopped her short, her eyes widening in horror, "Wait, Amy and Rory!" she shouted, looking quickly to the Doctor, alarmed, "We sent them back to the TARDIS!"

The Doctor began rummaging around in his pockets, "They'll be eaten!" he realised, pulling the phone out of his pocket, "Amy!" he quickly called back the TARDIS phone as he and the Hatter took off out of the room, "Amy? Rory?" he called over the phone as they ran off down the corridor, "Get the hell out of there!"

"Doctor…" Amy's voice came over, sounding very worried, "Something's wrong…"

They ran back through the hallways, "Yes, it's House!" the Hatter told her, raising her voice to be heard as they dashed around a corner, "House is after the TARDIS, you've got to get out, right now!"

"We _can't_. You locked the door, remember?"

They ran out of the ship and back onto the asteroids surface, racing through the junkyard back towards where they had parked the TARDIS, "But I've unlocked it!" the Doctor insisted, frowning.

"You stupid well haven't!" she snapped back, when the sound of the Cloister Bell began ringing out from the other end of the phone, pushing the Time Lords to run even faster, "Doctor, Hatter, I don't like this!" she said, sounding slightly afraid now.

The TARDIS came into view up ahead of them with strange, glowing green lights moving around the time machine, lighting up the windows. The Doctor tried flashing his sonic at the lock as they ran towards it, but still nothing happened. He even tried snapping his fingers, the Hatter even giving it a try in her desperation to get Amy and Rory out of there, but still nothing worked. The doors remained bolted shut.

"Just open!" the Hatter shouted as the sound of the Cloister Bell rang out in the air around them. She tried hitting the doors with her open palm, more out of frustration then an actual attempt to get them open. There was no way she would have enough strength to get them to unlock, "Just open, you damn doors!"

"Doctor?" Amy yelled from within the time machine, her voice sounding very distant and muffled, "Hatter?"

"OPEN THIS DOOR!" the Doctor banged on the doors, trying to help the Time Lady.

"Amy!" the Hatter cried, when the TARDIS began dematerialising. She and the Doctor backed away from the time machine, staring at it, helplessly as it began to fade, "No, Rory!" she grabbed the Doctor's arm, holding it tightly as it disappeared completely before their very eyes.

The Doctor quickly held the phone back up between them, recalling the TARDIS, "Amy?" he called urgently over the phone, his eyes wide, "Amy, can you hear me?" there was nothing, just static. He swallowed and flipped the phone closed, looking back to the Hatter, finding her presence comforting and reassuring, "Okay, right, I don't…" he paused, trying to calm his panicked breathing as the Hatter put her hands on his face, making him look at her, "I really don't know what to do," he breathed, staring at her, smiling weakly, "That's a new feeling".

"Doctor, look at me," the Hatter said sternly, her voice firm and determined, "We _will_ get them back, we'll get them and the TARDIS back. _Safely_ ".

He nodded, his breathing calming, not taking his eyes off hers, "Yes," he agreed, his own voice growing firmer, "Yes, we'll get them back".

"Panicking won't help them now, sweetheart".

"Right," he straightened, regaining his confidence, "Let's get them back".

And with that, he took her hand and they raced back across the junkyard towards the spaceship.

 _ **I have just got to say that I love, love 'The Doctor's Wife,' it has to be one of my favourite season six episodes. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	10. Chapter 10 The Doctor's Mother, Part 2

_**The Doctor's Mother, Part 2**_

"It's gone!" the Doctor called as he and the Hatter ran back into the main room of the spaceship, finding Idris sitting on the edge of the grating, while Uncle and Auntie were fiddling around with a pile of junk across from her. The Hatter tried hard to ignore them, unable to look at them without feeling ill.

"Eaten?" Idris asked in alarm, looking up to them.

"No, it disappeared," the Hatter told her, sighing heavily as she watched the Doctor start to pace, looking frustrated, "I don't believe it was eaten," she continued thoughtfully, "It seemed more like someone had hijacked it, though I can't imagine what the point would be doing that to an empty TARDIS," she frowned, shaking her head.

"It's time for us both to go, and keep together," Auntie remarked suddenly, catching their attention, pulling an old blanket around her shoulders as Uncle did the same beside her.

The Doctor frowned at them, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, go?" he repeated, stepping over to them, "What do you mean, 'go?' Where are you going?"

"And how are you supposed to be leaving?" the Hatter asked, eyeing them both closely. There was no way they were getting this spaceship moving anywhere and she hadn't noticed anything else outside that they could use to get off the asteroid.

"Well, we're dying, my loves," Auntie replied, quite causal and calm about the whole thing as she hobbled over towards a couple of boxes that where piled up on the other side of the room, taking a seat on one of them. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, both glancing back to see a matching puzzled expression of Idris's face, "It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off," she finished cheerfully.

"I'm against it," Uncle admitted, sighing slightly as he followed her, "But…" he trailed off, shrugging as if that was the end of it and there was nothing more that could be done.

"It's your faults, isn't it, sweets?" she pointed to the Time Lords, "'Cos you told House it was the last TARDIS. House can't feed on 'em if there's none more coming, can he?"

Uncle took a seat in a fold-up chair beside her, "So now he's off to your Universe to find more TARDISes," he added.

The Hatter frowned slightly, thinking of only one other TARDIS out there that House might be able to find, though the thought made her shiver. Besides, if she hadn't been able to find her old TARDIS, surely the House wouldn't have any more luck then she had? Well, she hoped so for her TARDISes sake, "He's going to be very disappointed," she lied, keeping her voice level, avoiding the Doctor's eye, "There aren't any left".

"Oh, it'll think of something," Auntie said, smiling knowingly, when her eyes rolled back into her head and she suddenly fell sideways, unmoving.

The Doctor and the Hatter blinked, staring at her in shock before the Doctor dashed over to her, flashing his sonic over her body as he scanned her.

"Actually…" Uncle rose from his chair, hardly seeming to even notice Auntie, "I feel fine…" and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Blimey!" the Hatter exclaimed, hurrying over to kneel beside the man, checking his pulse, but there was nothing. He was dead.

"Not dead!" the Doctor shouted, jumping over Uncle's body and coming to land beside the Time Lady, waving his arms around at the body, "You can't just _die_!"

"Apparently, they can," the Time Lady muttered grimly, struggling for a moment to pull herself back up onto her feet, brushing dirt off her tight covered knees.

"We need to go to where I landed, quickly," Idris called to them, staring off into space, completely ignoring everything else that was going on before her.

The Doctor sighed, frustrated, "Why?" he asked, huffing slightly as he turned around to face her properly.

"Because we are there in three minutes," she informed them, standing, "We need to go…now…" she took off running towards the door, only to stumble suddenly, grabbing at her side, "Ow!" she cried out painfully.

"What is it?" the Hatter moved closer to her, looking worried and alarmed as she reached out to place a steady hand on her shoulder, "What is it?"

Idris, grimacing and clutching her side, turned back around to look at them, "Roughly how long do these bodies last?"

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver back out of his pocket and flashed it at her, scanning before he checked the results. He looked back up to her, his eyes widening, "You're dying," he said softly.

The Hatter closed her eyes, nodding as she put a hand on his arm, "Of course, I should have known," she nodded, her eyes opening to look sadly at the woman before them, feeling her hearts breaking for her, "A TARDIS can't live inside a flesh body for very long. It's slowly killing it, bit by bit".

"I could blow the casing in no time," Idris agreed, snatching the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's hands as he continued to stare at her numbly, sadness filling his eyes as he grabbed the Hatter's hand, "No, stop it," she told him sternly, seeing his reaction, "And you, too," she fixed the Hatter with a sharp look, "Don't get emotional…hmm," she smiled very slightly, "That's what the orangey girl says. You're the Doctor and the Hatter…" she held the sonic screwdriver back out to the Doctor, "Focus".

"On _what_?" the Doctor shook his head, still staring at her, "How? I'm a madman with a box, without a box!" he snatched the sonic from her, slipping it inside his pocket, "I'm stuck down the plughole at the end of the Universe on a stupid old _junkyard_!" he shouted up at the ceiling.

"Hang on…" the Hatter gasped, her eyes widening in realisation, growing excited.

"You've had a clever thought, haven't you?" Idris looked at her eagerly.

She grinned at her, glancing at the Doctor, "I do believe I have, and you're wrong, sweetheart…" she paused, considering it, "Well, not completely _wrong_ , but not completely _right_ either".

"Hatter," the Doctor cut in, giving her a small, amused smile. This regeneration did tend to have a mouth that ran away with her at times.

"Right," she blushed slightly, returning the smile, "Sorry. Anyway…" she cleared her throat, glancing at Idris, her eyebrows raised, "This isn't _just_ a junkyard, don't you see?"

"I don't…" he began, when he stopped as it suddenly hit him what she was getting out, "…Oh!" he grinned, his eyes brightening, "It's not a junkyard".

Idris looked backwards and forwards between them, curious, "What is it then?" she asked.

"It's a _TARDIS_ junkyard!" the Hatter cried, grinning broadly.

"Come on!" the Doctor told them, clapping as he grabbed the Time Lady's hand, pulling her along with him as they began to run for the doorway, moving past Idris. He stopped suddenly and spun back around to face Idris, almost making the brunet slam straight into him, but luckily she was more then used to his habit of just coming to a sudden stop after centuries of running down hallways with him, and managed to quickly side-step him, turning back around. He frowned slightly at Idris, "Oh, sorry, uh, do you have a name?" he asked her, realising that he had no idea exactly what they should call her now.

"Seven hundred years, finally he asks," Idris rolled her eyes, looking at the Hatter.

The Hatter smiled faintly, amused as she cast the Doctor a fond look, "Well, in his defence, it has been quite tricky to ask you _before_ now," she remarked, imagining trying to ask the TARDIS Time Rotor what it would prefer to be called. Somehow, she highly doubted they would really make much sense of it, even if the TARDIS did reply, "Still, it's a very valued question," she nodded, looking back to the other woman, curious, " _What_ should we call you?"

"I think you both call me…" she smirked at them both, looking rather pleased with herself, "…Sexy?"

The Time Lords blinked, exchanging a quick, slightly embarrassed look as the Doctor turned back to her, blushing, "…only when we're alone," he muttered, casting a hurried look behind him, as if checking to make sure that no one had snuck up behind them and heard.

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, looking back and forth between the two rather pink Time Lords, "We are alone," she reminded them.

"Right you are," the Hatter agreed, nodding at her as some of the warmth in her cheeks began to fade, much to her relief. Oh, if Amy and Rory were here they would never hear the end of it. She flashed her a bright smile, suddenly feeling the urge to hug her, but she managed to resist, "And it is truly wonderful," she said sincerely.

The Doctor smiled at them both, taking the Hatter's hand before looking back to Idris, "Come on then, Sexy, dear!" he grabbed Idris's hand with his free one and took off running again, heading out the door.

They made their way back out of the spaceship and out into the junkyard, the Doctor letting go of Idris and the Hatter's hands to retrieve his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, flashing it around, scanning the area as he moved ahead of the girls. He jogged up a small hill and came to a stop, staring out over the ledge as the two women caught up to him.

"Blimey," the Hatter breathed, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the sight before her, of thousands, possibly even more, crashed and badly damaged ships that were scattered for as far as her eyes could see through the gloom and fog, each one once a TARDIS. The sight brought a wave of sadness that washed over her, at the sight of so many beautiful ships now damaged well beyond repair and with their owners long since gone. Her uncle's TARDIS would be down there, she realised with a start, somewhere, and she wouldn't even be able to recognise it.

"A valley of half eaten TARDISes," the Doctor commented, his eyes bright with excitement, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking that all my sisters are dead," Idris said quietly, "That they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses".

"Oh, I am so sorry!" the Hatter gasped, her head snapping around to look at her, horrified and ashamed that she hadn't even made the connection, that she hadn't even considered how it would look to Idris. She reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder as the Doctor winced, looking slightly guilty, "How insensitive of me…of us both," she added quickly, glancing at the Doctor.

The Doctor shifted slightly awkwardly, "Ah, sorry, no," he began, hastily looking at Idris, who was smiling very faintly at the brunet, "I wasn't thinking that…"

"No," Idris agreed, looking back out over the valley of her fallen sisters, "You were thinking you could build a working TARDIS console out of broken remnants of a hundred different models," she looked back to him, meeting his eyes, "And you don't care that it's impossible".

The Hatter gave her a small smile, "Nothing is ever impossible, you just have to try harder and be smarter to prove everyone wrong," she replied, winking, "Which is basically our motto".

He returned the smile, unable to deny that they did tend to live by that motto almost on a daily basses, "And Rory and Amy need us," he said, growing serious as he glanced back to Idris, "So yeah, we're going to build a TARDIS".

"I must say, this is going to be rather fun," the brunet remarked, rubbing her hands together, quite excited at the prospect of a brand new challenge of building a whole new console out of bits and pieces from other TARDIS models. She hadn't tried anything like it before, which only made it all the more exciting for her.

His smile widened as he grabbed her hand, quickly planting a kiss on her knuckles before they both turned on their heels and ran back down the hill, Idris following close behind them.

….

The Time Lords and Idris had quickly set to work making a start on building the console, managing to piece together the base of the console and two wall panels, but they were still missing the Time Rotor and actual control panels, scavenging from several different TARDISes that they had found to be in quite a good condition, considering how long they had no doubt spent scattered around the junkyard.

Idris stood a short distance away from where they were building the console, carefully examining a small circuit that she had plucked out of a pile of junk, tapping it with her finger as she eyed it, while the Hatter was busy kneeling on the edge of the console, piecing together one of the control panels. It almost felt like she was putting a puzzle together, a very complicated and slightly more fun puzzle that was a bit more befitting her Time Lady mind, though she did have to admit that she found some of those five thousand piece puzzles tricky, not that she would be telling the Doctor that anytime soon. Speaking of the Doctor, he was attempting to pull another large wall panel along behind him with a couple of cables over his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he used all of his strength to try and move the heavy slab of metal. The Hatter glanced over to him and sighed slightly, wishing she could help him, but she had to be very careful in her current condition to not strain herself.

"Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon Diverter…" Idris called over to the Doctor.

"Yes, yes!" he rolled his eyes slightly, sounding mildly annoyed as he continued trying to drag the wall panel, "I have actually rebuilt the TARDIS before, you know. I know what I'm doing!"

"Occasionally," the Hatter remarked quietly, amused.

Idris raised her eyebrows at him, not looking the slightest bit impressed, "You're like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom," she said, turning the circuit around in her hands, "And you _never_ read the instructions".

"I _always_ read the instructions!"

The Hatter burst out laughing, earning a mock offended look from the Doctor, "Only after I tell you to or can stop you from throwing the manual into a supernova," she paused, glancing at Idris with a small sigh, "Ah, sorry about that last part, I only left the room to make us a cup of tea and come back to find him throwing the last TARDIS manual out the door".

He huffed, pointing an accusing finger at her, "You're supposed to be on my side, Hatter!"

She simply looked at Idris, giving her a look that practically begged her to prove her point. Idris smiled very slightly and looked back over to the Doctor, "There's a sign on my front door," she began, pointing a finger at him, " _You_ have been walking past it for seven hundred years, what does it say?"

"That's not instructions," he shook his head, scoffing slightly.

"There's an instruction at the bottom, what does it say?"

"Pull to open".

"Yes," Idris nodded, sounding as if she was talking to a child. The Hatter grinned, quite enjoying watching how easy it was for Idris to stir the Doctor up, just like she could, "And what do you do?"

"I push!" he shouted, growing more annoyed, and it was very clear that the Hatter wasn't going to be any help as she sat there with a big smile on her face, looking as if she was loving every minute of it. Typical, he ought to have known that she and his TARDIS would gang up on him; they had even before the TARDIS had found herself stuck inside a flesh body.

"Every single time," she sighed tiredly, closing her eyes in exasperation, "Seven hundred years, police box doors open out the way," she opened her eyes and made an opening gesture with her hands, "The Hatter's never had an issue opening them correctly".

The Doctor threw the cables down on the ground, spinning around on his heels, and marched over to Idris, "I think I have earned the right to open my front doors any way I want!" he snapped.

" _Your_ front doors?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows, "Have you any idea how childish that sounds?"

He turned around and walked away from her, shaking his head, "You are not my mother!"

"And you are not my child," Idris said calmly as the Hatter's smile faded, sitting up straighter as she eyed the Doctor, wondering whether she ought to step in and take him aside to calm down a little bit.

"You know…" he whirled back around to face her, "Since we're talking, with mouths…" he held up his hand and mimicked a chattering mouth as he walked back over to her, "Not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, YOU…" he pointed at her, making Idris lean back slightly, "Have never been very reliable".

"Oh, what happened to the teasing?" the Hatter sighed, looking back and forth between the two, feeling the air around the Doctor grow slightly tenser. He never had an issue with her teasing him, but that could have been because they had known each other for so long and had always had that playful, light teasing banter that went on between them.

Idris raised her eyebrows at him, "And you have?"

"You didn't always take me where I wanted to go," he argued, waving his hand at her, before he turned and began to move away from her, back over towards the wall panel, roughly adjusting his blazer as he went.

"No," she agreed, watching him go, "But I always took you where you _needed_ to go!"

The Hatter blinked, startled as she realised that Idris was right. Despite all the mistaken stops and adventures that they had had over the years, most of them had resulted in something good happening, such as saving a planet or people that they wouldn't have otherwise have even known were in danger if they hadn't found themselves accidently in that situation. And yes, while there had been many horrible things that had also come from such unexpected adventures, one shining moment that, while still so very painful to her, was also something she would always be eternally grateful for the TARDIS for taking them on that trip.

"Jenny," she breathed, her head snapping back up to looking directly at Idris, who turned slightly to look back to her, "If you hadn't taken us to Messaline, we would never have created Jenny," the Doctor came to a sudden stop, his back to facing them, before he slowly began to turn back to face them, his eyes meeting the Time Lady's, "I would never have realised how much I missed being a mother," she continued, her eyes widening as she placed a hand on her bump, because without Jenny, she probably would never have even dreamed of ever becoming a mother again. Jenny, their brilliant, beautiful daughter who they lost far too soon, was really the person who had made her even start to consider the possibility of ever even having children with the Doctor.

"You did…" the Doctor said slowly, a small smile crossing his face as he glanced at Idris, before his own eyes widened in realisation, "And the Hatter!" he pointed across to her.

The Time Lady blinked, confused, "What about me?"

"If I hadn't landed in that exact park at that very moment in 2012, I would never have found you!" he told her, his smile widening into a grin as the brunet gasped, catching on to what he meant. It was true, he and Rose had been travelling to 2015 when they landed in that park and found her, human and completely unaware of her true self. He had always just assumed that it had been a miracle, after all, what were the chances of him having actually found her just like that? No, this made complete sense now; it had been down to his TARDIS taking him to where he needed to go, just like she always did.

Idris smiled at them, "My thief needed his smiley," she said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, "And smiley needed her sweetheart".

The Hatter stood and quickly threw her arms around Idris, "Thank you, Sexy," she whispered in her ear, pulling back from her, realising that she and the Doctor owed far more to the TARDIS then they had ever known. She probably would have died as a human, married her human boyfriend and had a family with him, never knowing anything different, leaving the Doctor alone in the Universe, no doubt travelling with Amy and Rory and going on all of the adventures that they had gone on without her. It broke her hearts to imagine how much more pain he would have gone through if he hadn't found her.

The Doctor's smile grew even brighter as he watched them, "Look at us, talking!" he exclaimed excitedly, rushing back over to them, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could talk, even when you're stuck inside the box?" he said to Idris.

"You know I'm not constructed that way," Idris frowned at him, shaking her head, "I exist across all space and time, and you two talk and…run around and…bring home strays…" she suddenly stopped talking as she gasped, half collapsing with a groan of pain. The Doctor quickly grabbed her and steadied her, half supporting her as the Hatter wrapped her arm around the woman's waist.

"What happened?" the Hatter asked worriedly, eyeing her carefully, though she already had a pretty good idea of just what might have caused her t collapse.

"One of the kidneys has already failed," she informed them, very calm and unconcerned. She shook her head, ignoring how concerned and alarmed both Time Lords were looking at her, neither of them having let her go yet, "It doesn't matter," she dismissed, "We need to finish assembling the console".

"Using a console without a proper shell…" the Doctor commented, whistling warily as he cast a quick look at the Hatter, "It's not going to be safe…"

"This body has about eighteen minutes to live," she cut across him before the Hatter could respond, "The Universe we're in will reach Absolute Zero in three house," she fixed them both with a firm look, "Safe is relative".

The Hatter sighed heavily and nodded, "She's right," she gave the Doctor a quick look, "We have no other choice here and besides, it won't have any impact upon our child, just might make me a little green for a while," she tried to smile, reaching forward to place a comforting hand on his arm when he still didn't look entirely pleased, "It's no more dangerous for me then most of the things we already get up to".

The Doctor eyed her for a moment before reluctantly nodded, turning around and walking back over to where he had left the wall panel, "Then we need to get a move on. Eh, old girl?" he remarked, grabbing the cables and getting back to work pulling the panel.

The Hatter glanced at Idris, a concerned frown crossing her face as the noticed the other woman touch her side. She put a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling at her softly, hoping that it hid just how worried she truly felt for her as Idris looked back to her, returning the smile, before returning back to their own tasks.

…

It wasn't long before they had a partly built TARDIS console constructed in the middle of the junkyard with two walls panels meeting in a corner around the back of the console, while the Hatter had managed to finish building a completely new, slightly shabby and mismatched console that she was just finishing using a spanner that she had in her jacket pocket to tighten a few bolts, though they were still missing the Time Rotor. The Doctor had disappeared a few minutes ago to find their missing Time Rotor, leaving the Hatter and Idris behind.

The Hatter glanced over to the other woman as Idris frowned thoughtfully at the console, "I know it's probably a silly question, but why do you call me 'smiley?'" she asked curiously, finishing tightening the bolt and tossing the spanner in the air, absently catching it.

"Because you're always smiling," Idris told her, looking at her fondly, "And you make my thief smile".

"Well, I try," she replied, unable to stop her grin from spreading across her face.

The Doctor finally returned from out of the gloom, carrying a large cylinder shaped piece of equipment on his shoulder. Their new Time Rotor.

Idris glanced over to him as she turned and began to make her way over to nearby pile of junk, just to see if there might be anything of use hidden away amongst it, "You'll need to install the Time Rotor!" she called to him.

"How is this going to make it through the Rift?" the Doctor wondered aloud as he made his way over to the console.

"Useless…" Idris muttered, tossing bits of old equipment over her shoulder as she went through a pile of junk.

The Doctor began to carefully lower the Time Rotor into place in the middle of the console as the Hatter reached forward to help him twist it into place, "Okay, we're almost finished," the Hatter announced brightly as the Rotor locked into place. She straightened and rubbed her hands together, running her eyes around the console, checking that she hadn't forgotten anything, "We're got the thrust diffuser here…" she pointed out one of the dials.

The Doctor nodded, moving around to the other side of the console, "Eh, retroscope," he remarked, reaching up to adjust one of the controls that looked like a bathroom mirror, before looking down at the control panel beneath the mirror, "Blue thingy…"

The Hatter rolled her eyes, reaching around to lightly smack his arm, "That's called the blue _stabilisers_ ," she told him, ignoring his mock yelp of pain as he began rubbing his arm, knowing perfectly well that she hadn't hurt him in the slightest, "Something that we're desperately going to need this time around, so don't think for a moment that I'm just going to ignore all of your poor driving habits, sweetheart," she fixed him with a sharp, pointed look, "The brakes are off this time, cool noise or not".

He sighed, slightly disappointed, "Yes, dear".

"Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?" Idris asked suddenly, absently examining a wire coat hanger.

"I chose you," he corrected her, glancing at the Hatter, thinking back to that day so long ago, "The Hatter wanted to take a peek inside one of the original battle TARDISes, but you were the only one that was unlocked".

"Of course I was," Idris smiled slightly, turning around and walking back over towards them, "I wanted to see the Universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away," the Doctor and the Hatter came to stand beside her as she eyed him, "And you were the only one mad enough".

"And able to," the Hatter frowned slightly. She would have left Gallifrey and run off with the Doctor and Susan in a heartbeat when he had first asked her to, but it just hadn't been possible for her. She had her children that still needed her, she would never have been able to just leave them behind, not when they were still in school and classed as kids, and even after they had left school, she had still found it painful to think that she would be leaving them behind to go off world, regardless of whether or not they might not have been speaking at the time.

"Right!" the Doctor clapped his hands, looking back over to the console, admiring their handiwork, "Perfect. Look at that," he smiled widely, waving his hand at the console, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh, no…" the Time Lady groaned, closing her eyes in exasperation.

One of the dials popped off the console, clattering loudly against the metal floor as it hit it. Idris frowned slightly and tilted her head curiously.

"Okay, that wasn't my fault," the brunet said quickly, her eyes snapping open as the Doctor began to turn in her direction. He raised his eyebrows at her, accusing, "Fine," she sighed heavily, nodding as she blushed faintly, "Yes, it is a little my fault, but it's easily fixed," she looked around hurriedly and spotted a couple of red velvet ropes that looked as if they belonged in an old movie theatre sitting in a pile of junk. She jogged over to them and grabbed the ropes, leading the way back over to the console and handed the Doctor and Idris a rope each, Idris hooking the wire coat hanging up on the mirror before the three of them set to work securing the ropes around themselves and the console to act like a seatbelts.

"Right, okay," the Doctor began, straightening from connecting the rope up to the console, "Let's go. Follow that TARDIS!" he reached forward and tried to start up the TARDIS, but the engine hummed for a moment before powering down again, sparking slightly. Idris hardly seemed to notice, her attention entirely focused on her own reflection in the mirror as she touched her cheeks, moving them around and scrunching them up, "Oh, come on!" he complained loudly as the Hatter frowned deeply, "There's Rift energy everywhere!"

The Time Lady pattered the side of the Time Rotor, "You can do it," she tried encouraging it, "Come on, you clever thing," she reached across the controls and began pushing buttons, just trying to get it to power up again, but nothing seemed to work.

"Okay…" the Doctor moved around to the other side of the console, twisting a dial, "Diverting all power to thrust…let's be having ya!" he grabbed a crank on the controls and began winding it quickly, when the console suddenly sparked, making the Time Lords flitch, "Ah!" he cried, hurrying back around the console, "No, no, no, no!"

Idris blinked, looking at him, startled, "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding mildly curious.

The Hatter sighed heavily, frowning at the console, "It's not holding the charge," she told her, running a hand down her face, "We can't even get the engine to start".

"There's no power!" the Doctor glared at the console, before looking back to Idris, only to find her staring at her own reflection again, pulling on her lip, "Will you…" he put his hand over the mirror, blocking her view as he shook his head, "We've got nothing…" he breathed, realising that they had no way of saving Amy and Rory now. Their plan had failed.

Idris slowly smiled at him, "Oh, my beautiful idiot," she said fondly, making the Hatter look at her in surprise, "You have what you've always had," he glanced at the Hatter, before his eyes drifted back over to Idris, "You've got me," she raised her middle finger up to her mouth and kissed it, her eyes glowing golden with energy that seemed to flow out of her finger tip as she reached out and touched it against the Time Rotor.

Immediately, the Rotor lit up and began to move up and down as the all too familiar sound of the engine's wheezing and grinding started up. The Hatter broke into a large, delighted smile, feeling the urge to hug the other woman, but before she could even make a move to, the console jolted them slightly and suddenly, a golden haze like a large, swirling bubble appeared around them, forcing them to quickly cling on to the console as they disappeared out of the junkyard in a brilliant flash of yellow light and crackling energy.

They hurtled through the Rift, surrounded by the golden energy, just managing to make out stars as they flew with such enormous speed that it almost seemed impossible to think that they were to actually managing to do this without a proper casing, but so far the two wall panels seemed to be holding up well. The Hatter laughed, her hair whipping around her face, her hat safely tucked away inside her jacket pocket.

"Whoo-hoo!" the Doctor cheered, grinning broadly, loving every minute of the wind in his hair and the exhilarating feeling of travelling so fast.

"We've locked on to them!" Idris called over all the noise of the engines and wind, checking the readings on the console as the Time Lords forced themselves to focus on flying the makeshift TARDIS, rather than enjoying the ride.

The Hatter reached around the console, pulling a lever, "Amy and Rory are going to need to lower the shields enough for us to phase inside!" she remarked, raising her voice as she twisted a dial.

"Can you get a message to Amy?" the Doctor asked Idris, flicking a switch, "The telepathic circuits are online!"

"Which one's Amy?" Idris questioned, frowning slightly, "The pretty one?"

The Time Lady blinked slightly, glancing at the Doctor, before shrugging as she looked back over to Idris, "I guess so!" she shouted back to her, not entirely sure how she ought to have answered that question. Beauty was such a tricky thing, on Earth Amy would be considered to be quite pretty, she supposed, while on some planets Rory would be considered to be handsome, and on some neither of them would be. It was like with Time Lords, psychical beauty was far less important than a person's mind and intelligence or social standing.

Idris nodded and put her hands on either side of the Time Rotor, closing her eyes, focusing on reaching out with her mind. Her eyes flew open as she made the mental connection, looking up at the mirror, "Hello, pretty!" she said brightly over the link.

"What the hell is that?" Rory's voice came over the telepathic circuits, sounding clear despite the wind and background noise.

The Hatter moved around to peer over Idri's shoulder to see Rory's face in the mirror, his eyes closed and seeming to be frowning, looking as if he was halfway up a ladder, "Ah, hello!" she called cheerfully to him, smiling, "Not to worry, this is just a telepathic message…"

The Doctor frowned as he looked around the Time Rotor, catching sight of Rory's face, "No, that's Rory!" he told Idris, shaking his head, before he hurried back around to the controls.

"Just as long as the message gets across!" the Hatter said, moving back around to her own side of the console, "That's all that matters, sweetheart!"

"You have to go to the old control room," Idris instructed Rory, ignoring the Time Lords, "I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there, use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields".

The Doctor popped his head around the mirror again, pointing at Rory doubtfully, "The _pretty_ one?" he remarked, throwing Idris a look, before he moved back to the controls.

The Time Lady gave him a light, scolding look, "Be nice, Doctor".

Idris, once again, ignored him, "You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading Matrix," she explained to Rory, "I'll send you the pass key when you get there. Good luck!" she finished, pulling her hand away from the Time Rotor, ending the connection.

"How's he going to be able to take down the shields anyway?" the Doctor asked, frowning over to Idris, "The House is in the control room!"

"I directed him to one of the old control rooms!" she informed him.

"There aren't any old control rooms! They were all deleted or remodelled!"

"I achieve them, for neatness!" the Hatter blinked in surprise, not having known that little bit of information, "I've got about thirty now!"

"But I've only changed the desktop…what, a dozen times?"

"So far, yes!" Idris agreed, smirking at him.

"You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet!"

" _You_ can't!

"Doctor, time and space are even more her playground then it is ours!" the Hatter called to him, shaking her head at his still slightly confused and surprised expression, "She's a TARDIS, nothing is ever linear for her, it's all happening all at once for her…" she winced, casting Idris a sympathetic look, realising just what that must feel like, "Ouch, and I thought being a Time Lady could be a pain".

…

"Looks like we're catching up!" the Time Lady shouted after a while, grinning broadly as, in the distance, she caught sight of a blue police box that they were very quickly nearing.

"Keep going!" the Doctor urged, smiling widely as he looked back over to Idris, "You're doing it, you sexy thing!"

"See, you do call me that!" Idris commented, returning the smile, "Is it my name?"

"You bet it's your name!"

"Whoo!" she cheered as the Hatter laughed, before quickly focusing back on the controls. Idris placed her hands on the Time Rotor again and closed her eyes, managing to send Rory the passwords: crimson, eleven, delight, petrichor. Suddenly, the console jolted and she was sent stumbling backwards into the wall behind her, losing the connection once more.

The Hatter kept a tight hold onto the edge of the console as she checked the readings on the controls, breaking into a bright, delighted smile as, after a moment, a small green light began blinking up at her, just what they had been waiting for, "Yes, they did it!" she cried, laughing again, "The shields are down!" she quickly looked back over to Idris, "You had better warn them to get out of the way!"

She nodded and moved back towards the controls, placing her hands back against the Rotor, closing her eyes as she brought Rory up again on the mirror, his expression slightly pained, "We're coming through!" she told him, opening her eyes to look at his faint image in the mirror, "Get out of the way or you'll be atomised!"

"Where are you coming through?" Rory's voice rang out over all the wind.

"I don't know!" she replied calmly.

"Oh, great, thanks!"

Idris, missing his sarcasm, pulled back from the Rotor, cutting the connection as the time machine flew even closer to the TARDIS, practically right on the back of the blue box's heels, which was a very good thing because it was started to become harder and harder to keep their TARDIS from tossing them around to violently. The Hatter winced slightly as she closed her eyes briefly; feeling a wave of nausea start to wash over her, desperately hoping that they could reach solid, unmoving ground very soon.

"It's not going to hold!" Idris shouted as the console sparked, smoke billowing up around them.

"Just a bit longer!" the Hatter ground out, clinging on for dear life.

The Doctor reached across the controls and pulled a lever, and suddenly they found themselves materialising in a swirl of golden energy in the Tenth Doctor's old console room, while Amy and Rory hid behind a Y-shaped column. As they landed and the energy faded, they toppled onto the floor of their makeshift TARDIS, the Hatter groaning slightly, her hair looking wild and as if it hadn't been brushed in a month with the amount of tangles in it, most of it covering her face.

"Oh, I don't feel well…" the Time Lady groaned, roughly pushing her hair off her face, her eyes closed tightly as her cheeks looked very pale. The Doctor, looking quite windswept himself, rubbed her back soothingly with a concerned look.

"Doctor!" Amy called, grinning as she peered around the column to see them, "Hatter!" she ran over to them, but stopped herself from hugging them, noticing how sickly and green the brunet looked as she remained sitting on the floor with the Doctor, her eyes closed tightly, "Are you alright, Hatter?" she asked worriedly.

"Fine, fine," she waved her off, quickly closing her mouth again.

"She's, ah, feeling a bit sick," the Doctor told Amy, "Motion sickness, she's very sensitive at the moment," he stood and held out his hand to the Hatter, who, after a long moment, took his offered hand and allowed him to pull her upright. While she did still feel quite sickly, on the positive side she hadn't been psychically ill yet and could actually open her eyes now without feeling dizzy.

She weakly gave Amy and Rory a small smile, wiggling her fingers at them in an attempt at a cheerful wave, "Hello, you two," she greeted them, "What a welcome relief it is to see you two safe and well again".

"Oh, not good," Idris moaned from behind them, catching all of their attention as she tried to climb onto her feet, looking almost as pale as the Hatter had, "Not good at all…" the Doctor rushed back over to her, grabbing her arm, helping her to stand as the Hatter eyed her worriedly. She frowned, shaking her head, "How do you walk around in these things?"

The Doctor gently helped her to sit down on the edge of the makeshift TARDIS, the Hatter quickly moving to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her, "We're not quite there yet," he said to her, "Just hold on," he straightened and looked back over to Amy and Rory, who were staring at them, "Ah, Amy, this is…" he glanced back over to Idris and back to them, "She's my TARDIS. Except she's a woman," he pointed back to her as something sparked on the makeshift console behind them, "She's a _woman_ , and she's my _TARDIS_ ," he broke into a broad, slightly stunned smile.

Amy's eyes widened, "She…she's the TARDIS?" she pointed at Idris, shocked.

"And she's a woman," he nodded, growing even more excited, "She's a woman and she's the TARDIS".

The Hatter smiled softly at him, shaking her head fondly, "You are adorable," she remarked.

Amy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, pointing at him, "Did you wish _really_ hard?"

"Shut up," the Doctor muttered, blushing slightly at the implication, glancing warily back to the Hatter and Idris, "Not like that".

The Time Lady laughed, giving Amy a approving look as she helped Idris to stand, keeping a hand on her arm to help steady her, "Hello," Idris said to Amy and Rory, slightly breathless, "I'm…Sexy".

"Oh…" he groaned, glancing at Idris as the Hatter smiled, amused. Amy and Rory smirked at him as he looked back to them, pointing sternly, "Still, shut up".

"The environment has been breached," House's voice suddenly sounded throughout the room as the lights around the room and walls turned green. They all lost their smiles, "Nephew, kill them…"

Amy and Rory stared, looking around the room urgently for the Ood, "Where's Nephew?" Rory asked, still looking around.

"He was standing right where you materialised…" Amy remarked, frowning as she pointed over to where the makeshift TARDIS was.

"Oh, I see," the Hatter sighed slightly, glancing almost sadly at the time machine behind her, "He's been redistributed, then".

Rory looked back to her quickly, "Meaning what?"

"We are all currently breathing him," she informed them grimly.

Amy and Rory grimaced in disgust, Amy quickly covering her mouth and nose, "Oh, come on…" she complained.

"Another Ood we failed to save," the Doctor said sadly, exchanging a look with the Hatter.

"Doctor, Hatter, I did not expect you," House commented, sounding mildly surprised.

"Well, that's us all over, isn't it?" he called to him, clapping his hands as he moved around the darkened console that his last two regenerations had been so fond of, "Lovely, old, unexpected us".

"The big question is, now you're here…how to dispose of you? I could play with gravity…"

They all collapsed onto the ground as if an unseen forced had pressed down on all of them, their faces scrunched up with pain as the Hatter wrapped her arms around her stomach, when the presser was suddenly lifted and they slowly pulled themselves back up, Idris's legs giving way beneath her and sending her crashing back down onto the floor with a groan of pain. Rory and the Hatter moved to her side straight away, gently rolling her onto her back, the brunet moving her head into her lap.

"Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke…" House continued.

They all began gasping as the air was suddenly sucked out of the room, grabbing at their throats, desperately trying to catch their breath as their lungs started burning with the need for oxygen. Even the Doctor and the Hatter were gasping and chocking, feeling like the air had been pulled from their very lungs.

"You really don't want to do that!" the Doctor managed to chock out, grasping at his throat, his eyes widening as he stared fearfully across the room to the Hatter.

The air returned, leaving them gasping and panting, feeling exhausted.

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" House asked them.

"Because…" the Hatter began, panting as she touched her throat and stomach worriedly, but she could sense that the child was fine and she could feel a very small kick, though she wasn't sure how much longer that would last if House kept torturing them like this, "If we're dead, we can't help you".

The Doctor quickly moved around to her side, still breathless as he took her hand and helped her to stand, wrapping his arm around her waist when she wobbled unsteadily, "Listen to your engines," he urged House as Rory checked Idris's pulse, now cradling her head in his lap, "Just listen to them…you don't have the thrust and you know it".

"We're your only hope of getting out of your little bubble Universe through the Rift, and into our Universe," the Time Lady breathed, leaning a hand against the console, feeling slightly comforted by the old, familiar design of the room, "You need us".

"And ours is the one with the food in," the Doctor added as Idris whispered something to Rory, looking very weak and pale, "You just have to promise not to kill us," he went on, looking up at the ceiling, "That's all, just promise".

Amy stared at them, "You can't be serious," she shook her head, unable to believe that they were actually going to help House get to their Universe.

"We're very serious," he told her, meeting her eyes, "I'm sure it's an entity of its word".

"Hatter!" Rory called, a hint of panic in his voice, making them quickly look back over to see him cradling Idris in his arms, "She's burning up. She's asking to water".

The Time Lords hurried over to her side, kneeling down beside her as the Hatter took her hand, giving her a soft, gentle smile, "Shh, it's okay," she tried soothing her, feeling her eyes prickle with tears as she realised just how weak she had grown. Her eighteen minutes were very nearly up.

"Hey," the Doctor said gently, cupping Idris's cheek, inwardly wincing at how warm her skin felt, "Hang in there, old girl," he tried to smile at her, "Not long now. It'll be over soon".

"I always liked it when you call me old girl," Idris breathed, staring up at his face, her voice weak and her breathing slightly struggle laboured.

"Shh," the Hatter murmured, forcing back tears, feeling her hearts breaking as she tightened her grip on Idris's hand, "Don't talk, save your strength".

"You want me to give my word?" House cut in, catching their attention, "Easy, I promise".

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Time Lady, "Fine," he agreed, "Okay, we trust you".

"You'll just have to delete about…oh, thirty percent of the TARDIS rooms," the brunet instructed House, looking up at the ceiling, not letting go of Idris's hand, "Doing that will free up enough thrust power to make you through the Rift and into our Universe," she glanced at the Doctor, taking a deep breath as he nodded very slightly, giving her a small smile, "Activate subroutine Sigma nine".

"Why would you tell me this?" House questioned, sounding suspicious.

The Doctor stood, "Because we want to get back to our Universe as badly as you do," he replied, holding up his hands, "And we're nice".

"Yes, I can delete rooms…" Rory looked up, alarmed, "And I can also rid myself of vermin, if I delete this room first…" Amy and Rory looked fearfully to the Time Lords, their eyes widening as the Doctor and the Hatter's expression remained completely unchanged, "Thank you, Doctor, Hatter. Very helpful. Goodbye, Time Lords. Goodbye, little humans. Goodbye, Idris".

A bright light filled the room, blinding them all as they disappeared…

….

The light faded and they all found themselves back in the main control room that was glowing green, in the exact same positions that they had been in when they had been deleted from the old control room, Rory and the Hatter kneeling beside Idris, while Amy crouched a short distance away from them as the Doctor stood beside the console.

"Yes, I mean, you _could_ do that," the Doctor called, calmly lowering his arm from his eyes, having been shielding his eyes against the bright glare of the light, "But it just won't work".

"It's a fail safe," the Hatter explained, looking up at the ceiling as Amy and Rory blinked, staring around in surprise, "Something that was programmed into the very data core of the computer, which basically makes it impossible for any living thing to be deleted from a room and are, instead, safely deposited into the main control room".

"But thanks for the lift," he said cheerfully as the Time Lady stood, moving to his side.

"We are in your Universe now," House informed them as Idris pulled Rory down slightly, whispering something to him, "Why should it matter to me in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere," the Doctor walked around the console, making his way back around to the Hatter, "Fear me. I've killed hundreds of Time Lords".

"Fear me," the Doctor told him, serious, "I've killed them all".

"And I built the weapon that made it possible," the Hatter cut in, swallowing the pain and bitterness that saying those words brought to her, keeping her expression void of any emotions.

"I don't understand," Rory frowned at Idris, shaking his head, "There isn't a forest in here".

"Yeah, you're right," the Doctor continued, raising his voice slightly, "You've completely won. Oh, you could kill us oodles of really inventive ways," he glanced quickly at the Hatter, but her eyes were focused on Idris, looking very concerned, "But before you do kill us allow me, my wife, and friends Amy and Rory to congratulate you on being an…" he grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her up onto her feet, "Absolutely worthy opponent," he began clapping with the Hatter, nudging Amy's side.

Amy, slightly confused, joined in clapping, "Congratulations?"

The Hatter swallowed thickly, feeling her eyes prickle slightly as she watched Idris's eyes slip closed. She glanced at the Doctor and gave him a grim, small nod.

"Yep, you've defeated us," he continued, trying hard to ignore the stab of pain that he felt as he and the brunet stopped clapping, Amy frowning slightly at them both, "Me and my lovely friends here, and last but definitely not least, the TARDIS Matrix herself…" he held out a hand towards Idris, "A living consciousness you _ripped_ out of this very control room and locked up into a human body".

"Look at her, House," the Time Lady said, her voice growing colder, struggling to keep her anger under control, "Just _look_ at her".

"Doctor, Hatter…" Rory called to them, looking quite pale, still cradling Idris's limp head in his lap, "She's stopped breathing".

"Enough," House told them, his voice rumbling through the room as Amy moved to kneel beside Rory, "That is enough".

" _Enough_?" the Hatter repeated, this time not even bothering to keep her anger from her voice, glaring furiously at the ceiling as the Doctor moved around the console, "No, don't you dare, don't you _dare_ say that, because this…" she pointed back to Idris's body, feeling herself start to shake, "This will never be enough for what you have done, for the crimes and cruelty that you have inflicted upon _innocent_ people, people who we _cared_ about!" she shouted, unable to stop herself, simply to angry and upset after everything that they had gone through and learnt throughout the day.

The Doctor stepped back around to her side, taking her hand, "You forced the TARDIS into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room!" he glared up at the ceiling, just as furious as the brunet, "A flesh body can't hold the TARDIS Matrix and _live_. Look at her body, House," he tried, gesturing over to Idris.

"And you think I should mourn her?" House asked, sounding close to laughing at the mere suggestion.

"No," he said, his voice growing dangerously soft, "We think you should be very, _very_ careful about what you let back into this control room," Idris shifted slightly and opened her mouth, and with her last breathe, released the golden energy out from herself as Amy and Rory leaned back, their eyes widening in shock, "You took her from her home!" he went on, "But now she's back in the box again".

The Hatter broke into a large smile, holding out her arms, "And now she's finally free again," she laughed, turning slightly to watch as the golden energy poured out of the Idris and streamed back into the console, swirling through the equipment and engines, lighting the controls up with the bright yellow light.

"No!" House cried, groaning painfully, "Doctor, Hatter stop this! Argh!" he shouted as the energy began to swirl around the room, "Stop this now!"

"Oh, look at my girl!" the Doctor cheered; grinning proudly as he watched the energy, "Look at her go!" he grabbed the Hatter's hand and twirled her around, both laughing in delight, "Bigger on the inside!"

"Do you see it now?" the Hatter called, not letting go of his hand, "Do you understand your mistake?"

"Make her stop!" House begged, pained.

"That's your problem…" the Doctor continued, ignoring him.

"Argh!"

"Size of a planet, but inside you are just so _small_ …"

"Make it stop!"

Idris slumped back down onto her side, the light fading from her as the body finally died.

"Finish him off, girl," the Doctor ordered, he and the Hatter turning away to look at the console as the golden light disappeared, the room growing dark once more.

"Ow! Don't do this! Argh!"

The Hatter closed her eyes, hanging her head, "You brought this on yourself," she said quietly as House's final cries and pleading died, a small part of her feeling slightly guilty and ashamed for what they had done.

Amy and Rory blinked, looking down in surprise to find that Idris's body had disappeared, when a golden glow appeared on the stairs behind the Time Lords, catching their attention, "Doctor…" a voice called out, echoing slightly, "Hatter…" slowly, the Doctor and the Hatter turned around to see a ghost-like image of Idris standing before them, glowing, "Are you there? It's so dark in here".

The Time Lady gave the Doctor a small, comforting smile as she squeezed his hand as they moved closer to Idris, "We're here," he assured her, trying to give her a smile.

"We will _always_ be here," the Hatter told her gently.

Idris looked down towards them, seeming to be following the sound of their voices rather than actually seeing them as she gave them a small smile, "I've been looking for a word," she said, her eye moving to rest on the Doctor, "A big, complicated word, but so sad. I've found it now".

"What word?" he asked softly.

"Alive," she breathed, her smile widening, "I'm alive".

"Alive isn't sad," he frowned, shaking his head as tears sprung up in his eyes, and he clutched onto the Hatter's hand even tighter.

"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here, but this is when we talked, and now even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to you…"

He nodded and looked down, already guessing the answer, "Goodbye…"

"No," she said, taking a deep breath as he looked back up to her in surprise, "I just wanted to say…hello," she paused, tears filling her eyes as she struggled to keep her composer, "Hello, Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you," she smiled tearfully at him, sniffing slightly as she looked over to the Hatter, who was silently crying, "And hello, Hatter. I am so very glad to have reunited your both again".

"Please…" the Doctor whispered, so close to completely breaking down that he felt for certain that he would have done so already if it wasn't for the Hatter's comforting hand in his, reminding him that she was still there with him. He shook his head, staring up at her, "I don't want you to…" Idris smiled at them sadly and began to lean back as the Hatter gently pulled him back from her, realising what was about to happen, "Please…" he pleaded, his hearts breaking.

The golden light returned and seemed to envelope Idris as the sound of the TARDIS wheezing noise echoed around them. A ghostly, 'I love you…' whisper drifted over them as they could only watch as on as Idris completely disappeared before them, leaving the Doctor and the Hatter standing in the exact same spot, both with tears running down their cheeks as slowly, the Doctor turned to look heartbrokenly at the Hatter.

"Come here, sweetheart," the Hatter murmured, sniffing as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly to her as he instantly buried his head into her neck. She rubbed his back as she simply held him, trying desperately to comfort him when they were both still so devastated.

…

The Doctor was sitting in the harness beneath the glass flooring of the console, toying with a few of the wires that hung down all around him, while the Hatter stood a short distance away from him, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't accidently blow anything up while she helped, the two of them wearing a pair of tinted goggles.

"How's it going under there?" Rory called down through the floor, watching them work as Amy knelt on the floor, a stethoscope in her ears to hear them.

Something sparked and the Hatter sighed, shooting the Doctor a quick, pointed look that he returned with a slightly sheepish smile, "Well enough," she called back to them, rolling her eyes fondly as she pulled her goggles down to hang loosely around her neck, "Just as long as _someone_ does as I tell him to do, everything ought to be fine".

"So perfectly, then," the Doctor flashed her a grin.

"You're lucky I find you so adorable, sweetheart," she said dryly, but she couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face. She shook her head and looked back up through the floor to the humans, "We're just putting a firewall around the Matrix, ought to be finished in a tick".

"Are you going to be make her talk again?" Amy asked, looking down at them seriously.

"Can't," the Doctor replied, glancing at the Hatter, who sighed heavily, "Neither of us can".

Rory walked down the steps, frowning at them over the railing at them, "Why not?"

"Spacey wacey, isn't it?" Amy guessed.

"Well, actually," the Doctor began, eyeing the end of one of the wires, "It's because the Time Lords discovered that if you take an eleven dimensional matrix and fold it into a mechanical then…" Rory grabbed two of the wires and touched them together, causing them to spark violently. He quickly let the wires go, his eyes widening slightly as the Time Lords both flinched, the Time Lady giving him a scolding look as she quickly moved to check the wires, "Yes!" he exclaimed, throwing Rory an annoyed look, "It's spacey wacey!" he pulled his goggles down to dangle around his neck.

"Sorry," Rory said hurriedly, still looking slightly alarmed as he looked back and forth between the Time Lords, the Hatter tutting under her breath as she examined the wires. He cleared his throat, "Uh, at the end, she was talking. She kept repeating something," he shook his head, "I don't know what it meant".

The Hatter glanced up at him, curious, "What did she say?"

"'The only water in the forest is the river'. She said we'd need to know that someday. It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Not yet," Doctor agreed, fiddling with a small fuse box on the central poll connected directly into the console.

The Time Lady frowned thoughtfully, thinking it over, before she sighed and shook her head, not making any more sense over it then the Doctor or Rory had. She looked back up to Rory, eyeing him, "Is everything alright, Rory?" she asked him, concerned as she noticed that he looked slightly glum.

He looked back up to her, "No," he admitted, sighing heavily as the Doctor straightened, looking over to him in concern, too, "I watched her die. I should let it get to me, but it still does…" Amy walked down the stairs, taking a seat on one of the steps, looking over the railing, "I'm a nurse".

"Letting it get to you," the Doctor remarked, absently scratching the back of his head with a tool, before pointing with it across to Rory, "Do you know what that's called? Being alive," he smiled faintly, "Best thing there is. Being alive right now, that's all that counts".

The Hatter smiled, reaching across to pat his arm, "Well said, sweetheart," she said cheerfully, and he kissed her cheek before taking a seat back in the harness. She looked back to Amy and Rory, "We won't be much longer, just a few more minutes and we'll be ready to take off".

"The Eye of Orion's restful, if you like restful," he continued happily, grabbing one of the wires and examining it as he rambled on, "I can never get the hang of restful…"

"It's also quite good for when you're feeling sick," the brunet added, still smiling, "All that fresh, clean air, just what you need when you're feeling a bit green. Plus, the scenery is lovely".

"What do you think, dear?" he glanced up at the Hatter, before reaching over to lightly pat the central poll, "What about you, old girl?" he grinned, swinging slightly in the harness as he pulled a bright yellow cloth from out of his pocket, carefully cleaning one of the wires, "Where shall we take the kids this time?"

"Look at you two," Amy commented, smiling, shaking her head as she watched the two Time Lords cooing over the TARDIS, "It's always you two and her, isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and girl, off to see the Universe with their box".

"Well, you say that as if it's a bad thing," he looked back over to her, breaking into a smile, "But honestly, it's the best thing there is…" he paused, his smile softening as he glanced over to the Hatter, "Well, second best thing".

The Hatter smiled, but her smile dimmed as something sparked violently. She sighed, throwing him a quick look, "Well, that ruined the moment," she muttered, before turning back to Amy and Rory, "I'm afraid that House deleted all the bedrooms, so we'll have to make you a new one".

Rory leaned closer to Amy, whispering something to her for a moment, "Okay," Amy nodded, raising her voice as she looked back over to them, "Er, this time could we lose the bunk beds?" she asked hopefully.

The Time Lady blinked, throwing the Doctor a surprised look, "You actually gave them bunk beds?" she said, staring at him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "A married couple and you gave them _bunk beds_?"

"Bunk beds are cool!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking slightly offended that none of them seemed to see just how 'cool' they were, not even the Hatter, which was slightly surprising since he would have expected her to love the idea with her childlike love of things. He had even considered putting them in their room, but judging by her expression, that might not be the best idea to even try mentioning, "A bed with a _ladder_!" he continued, trying to get them to see it, "You can't beat that!"

"Oh, I think I could think of something that's better," she leaned towards him, her voice low, smirking slyly at him, "And believe me, sweetheart, having an ordinary bed for two is all you need," she winked.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he stared back at her, a blush creeping across his cheeks, unable to take his eyes off hers as she continued to smiling wickedly back at him. He swallowed, hard, "Alright," he said after a while, his voice sounding higher than normal, "No bunk beds, who needs a bed with a ladder anyway?"

"Exactly my thinking," she straightened and turned back around to face Amy and Rory, Rory seeming to be very interested in his own shoelaces, while Amy was grinning back at her, "I believe you'll find your room by going up those stairs…" she pointed back up towards the console above them, "And just keep going until you find it. If you want anything altered, just tell me and _I'll_ fix it".

He cleared his throat, still feeling quite warm under his collar as he tried desperately to pull his gaze off the back of the Hatter's head, "Off you pop," he told them, pulling his goggles back on and forcing himself to turn back to his work.

Amy and Rory began to stand, heading off up the stairs, but Rory paused and looked back to them, "Doctor, Hatter, do you have a room?" he asked curiously. Amy rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him along after her back up the stairs, leaving the Time Lords to their work.

The Doctor grabbed two of the wires and touched them together, causing yet another large explosion that hurriedly made the Hatter shield her eyes from the light.

"Doctor!"

"Ah, sorry, dear…"

….

The Doctor rubbed his hands together as he made his way back up the steps from beneath the console, tossing the yellow cloth onto the controls, and pausing to cast his eyes around the room in search of the Time Lady, who had crept away a few minutes ago while he had been busy putting the final pieces of the firewall together. It didn't take him long before he caught sight of her, standing in the open doorway, looking out into space, a light breeze blowing her hair. He made his way over towards her, stepping down the steps and across to stand beside her in the doorway.

The Hatter sighed heavily after a moment, "He didn't deserve this fate," she said softly, and he noticed that she was cradling one of the distress boxes in her hands, "None of them did".

"No," he agreed, his voice growing just as quiet, "They didn't," he reached out and took her hand, rubbing his thumb along her knuckles as he looked back up to her face, "Are you okay?"

"Sad," she replied, smiling weakly, "He was my favourite uncle, the only adult who ever treated me like a child when I was young, not a protégée. I'll always be thankfully for that, for how whenever he would visit, he would make me feel like a was a just an ordinary little girl," she laughed slightly, glancing at him, "It sounds silly…"

"Not at all," he shook his head, returning her smile, "It's understandable. You never got the chance to have a childhood, not even a Gallifreyan one, of course having someone treat you like a child would have meant so much to you".

She turned and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back just as tight, before they pulled apart and he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She reached up and fondly pattered his cheek with her free hand, before letting go of him and moving back towards the edge of the doorway. She lifted the box up to her mouth, closing her eyes, "Goodbye, Uncle Emory," she whispered, and used her thumbnail to undo the clasp on the edge of the cube, watching as a streak of brilliant white light flew out of the cube and out into space. She closed the now darkened cube and tucked it away inside her jacket pocket, "It's not a Gallifreyan memorial," she remarked, "But I think he would have liked it all the same".

"I wouldn't ask for anything less if it was me," the Doctor said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She made a slight face, giving him a look, "Let's not tempt fate, shall we, sweetheart?"

"Ah…good point, dear".

She reached forward and grabbed the doorhandles, shutting them as she and the Doctor turned, making their way back up to the console. The Doctor reached into his pocket and flashed it at the controls, before tossing it into the air and catching it again, tucking it away back into his pocket.

"Are you there?" he asked, leaning his hands against the console, his eyes roaming around the room, "Can you hear me?" nothing happened and he sighed, lowering his head, "Oh, I'm silly old…" he trailed off.

The Hatter put a comforting hand on his arm, "Never mind," she said, trying to make herself sound bright and cheerful, looking over the console, "Let's go to the Eye of Orion…or wherever else we might need to go, old girl".

Suddenly, a lever pulled itself down beside the Hatter, and the sound of the engines started up with a jolt, forcing them to grab hold of the console before they could be thrown off balance. They looked at each other and burst out laughing, delighted as they began running around the controls, hitting buttons and switches as they went.

 _ **Finally finished! I can't believe it's taken me this long when this is possibly my favourite episode of season 6, but in my defence it is the last few weeks of school before the summer holidays, so things have been busy lately. Also, has anyone watched Class yet? Mrs Quill has got to be my favourite character, she has some of the best lines and it was wonderful to see Twelve again after nearly a year of not getting any more new episodes.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Doctor and the Hatter dress up, Amy catches them out…again, and ice cream. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	11. Chapter 11 Good Night

_**Good Night**_

The Doctor calmly walked down stairs with a large euphonium tucked under his arm, while the Hatter followed close behind him with a triangle, since she was sadly not anywhere near as gifted at playing musical instruments as the Doctor was and she could hardly carry a piano with her, one of the few instruments she could actually play without making a fool of herself. She smiled as she jumped the last step, enjoying watching as the bright pink, pleated dress that she was wearing swirled around her knees as she landed, the silky fabric feeling wonderful against her skin and the beaded flower-like design that was scattered all across the fabric glittered in the lights of the console. The dress looked similar to a 50's style dress with a sweetheart neckline and a matching black silk belt that went around her waist, the pleats doing a surprisingly good job of hiding her eleventh month baby bump from view, even standing side-on. She had even put her hair up into a French bun with a half-moon hairpin, but she hadn't bothered with makeup, never having been overly fond of the feeling of it on her skin.

The Doctor was looking quite handsome himself in his white tuxedo, whistling happily a little tune as took the Hatter's free hand and twirled her around and back to him, smiling broadly as she laughed in delight, her dress swirling around her, but how could he resist seeing as she was in a dress that was just meant to be twirled and spun around in? He had barely been able to keep himself from dancing around with her all night, having to constantly remind himself that she couldn't be spun around and picked up like he used to do before she got pregnant.

"Stop it," she giggled, lightly hitting his arm, grinning up at him, "Honestly, it's a good thing I'm not nearly as sensitive as I was a few weeks back".

"How could I resist with you wearing that stunning dress?" he raised his eyebrows, smiling widely back at her. He lightly bopped her nose and she scrunched up her face in mock annoyance, "Did I mention how gorgeous you look?"

"Yes, I believe so," she nodded in mock thoughtfulness, "Several times, in fact".

He pretended to gasp, his eyes widening comically, "Well, that's not enough times," he said, sounding very, very serious and firm.

She laughed and shook her head at him and his adorable silliness, taking his hand, pulling him over towards the TARDIS doors, just to try and remind him that they had things to do that didn't involve flirting right now, though that really wasn't saying anything since they tended to flirt regardless of the time and place…well, at times.

The Doctor grabbed the doorhandle and pulled the door open, poking his head out, "River!" he called out, the wind from outside lightly blowing his and the Hatter's hair, "We'll see you later!"

"It's been lovely!" the Hatter added brightly, wiggling her fingers at the curly haired woman, "Oh, and do tell Marilyn that we couldn't wait around for her, she'll have to fly the biplane home!"

"Take care!" he waved back to her, and swung the door closed as River blew them a little cheeky kiss. He spun around from the door, whistling again as he took the brunet's hand, heading back up towards the console, carefully dropping their respectful instruments onto one of the jump seats as they began to work on the console, preparing to set off into the Vortex.

"Do you do this every night?" Amy's voice sounded from behind them, and they both jumped in surprise and spun around to find her sitting at the top of the stairs looking over the console, dressed in her nightie and dressing gown, her chin resting on her palm.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, startled, "Hello!" he quickly stepped in front of the jump seat, blocking the instruments from view, hoping that Amy hadn't seen them.

"Amy," the Hatter blinked, taken aback herself to find the red head still up and apparently waiting for them, again. What happened to humans being such brilliant sleepers? There was once a time when she would have loved her companions to join her on her nightly adventures when they were usually sleeping, but since she and the Doctor had first began dating, their nightly adventures had become more like date nights for them…sometimes with River tagging along, though those nights were less dates and more simply fun trips, "This is…unexpected," she glanced at the Doctor, absently running a hand down her dress.

"You're trying to conceal a euphonium," Amy remarked, eyeing the Doctor, not seeming to be the slightest bit surprised by their odd, nightly behaviour, " _Guilty_. Has that ever been attempted before?" she wondered aloud.

The Time Lady shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching, "Well, one of us would eventually have to try it, wouldn't we?"

The Doctor still seemed to think that there was a way to selvage the situation, though, "What?" he looked behind him, pretending to have just remembered the rather large euphonium behind him, "Oh, this," he nodded, not convincing anyone, "Oh, yeah, it's just one of those, um…." He looked back over to Amy, "Euphoniums".

The brunet rolled her eyes, lightly hitting his arm, "She already knew that," she hissed.

"Oh…" he blinked, glancing back at Amy, "Right".

Amy stared at them both for a moment, "Okay…" she shook her head, "So is _this_ what you two do at night when we're sleeping?" she asked curiously, eyeing them, "Have extra adventures?"

"Well, Time Lords only need a few hours of sleep a week," the Hatter informed her, shrugging as she leant against the console, "And we can even get away with less, but I personally prefer to sleep a few hours every two to three days, just to keep my brain sharp," she reached up and tapped her left temple.

"We keep busy," the Doctor added, gesturing between himself and the Time Lady, shooting the brunet a grin, "Trust me, it's scary when she's bored".

She rolled her eyes, "You make several nasty computer virus and you never hear the end of it," she muttered, mock annoyed.

"Keeping busy doing what?" Amy cut in before they could start flirting, sighing, "Actually tell me for once. You're my friends, my best friends, so tell me what it is you do?" she practically ordered them.

The Doctor eyed her slightly and glanced at the Hatter, who shrugged, not overly concerned about whether or not Amy knew what they had got up to, "…okay," he relented after a moment, "We just helped out a possessed orchestra at a moon base…"

"And before that we prevented two supernovas," the Hatter commented, sounding quite cheerful about it, "We also spent a few hours writing a history of the Universe through jokes".

"That was her idea," he pointed at the Time Lady, who broke into a broad smile, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Just proving you wrong, sweetheart," she said happily, smirking at him as she looked back over to Amy, "He said it wasn't possible, I said otherwise and proved him wrong".

"I helped!" he insisted quickly, realising that it sounded as if he hadn't helped in the slightest, which wasn't true. He was the one who had come up with the half the asteroid jokes, after all. He shook his head and glanced over to Amy, "We also did a bit of local work in Brixton," he continued, "Lovely practice, very short staffed".

Amy simply stared at them, not saying a word, not even cracking a little smile or rolling her eyes. The Hatter frowned, growing concerned as she moved towards the bottom of the stairs, "What is it?" she asked, eyeing her closely, "What's wrong, Amy?"

She looked at her sadly before slowly climbing onto her feet, "We're all such tiny parts of your lives, aren't we?" she said quietly, walking down the stairs towards them, "All the friends you two make just…flicker in and out," she sighed, meeting the brunets eyes, "You must hardly notice us".

"Oh, Amy," the Time Lady breathed, shaking her head quickly as she took both her hands in hers, looking at her very seriously, "Never ever say that. You and Rory, you are _massive_ parts of our lives; you mean _so_ much to us both".

The Doctor stepped forward, catching Amy's attention over the Hatter's shoulder, "And you are _all_ that we ever remember," he agreed, just as serious as the brunet.

"Speaking of which…" she began, hesitating slightly as she looked between them before settling on the Hatter, "My life doesn't make sense".

The Hatter sighed heavily, exchanging a look with the Doctor, "Yes, we know," she nodded, squeezing her hands comfortingly.

"That's what I've been _trying_ to talk to you two about".

"We know," the Doctor said quietly, meeting her eyes. The Hatter frowned slightly, eyeing Amy, having sensed that there was more that the girl had wanted to speak about and had been wanting to ever since America, but she wasn't about to start questioning her about it now. She would wait until she felt ready to speak about it and hope that it wasn't a mistake not asking more about it now.

She took a deep breath, "It's like….when I first met you two, I didn't have parents," she tried to explain to them, trying to get them to understand what she was trying to say, "I _never_ had parents. And then you did…whatever it was you did…and rebooted the Universe and, suddenly, I have parents. And I've _always_ had parents. And I remember both lives, in my head, both of them, in my head, and at the same time".

"And you're fine," the Hatter smiled comfortingly at her, "Bit confused, granted, but you're handling it. You grew up with a time crack in your bedroom as a child, all that energy pouring into your mind while you slept every night in that room, it changed you…"

"But it _shouldn't_ be fine," Amy cut across her, frowning deeply, " _Why_ is it fine?"

"Rory was a Roman for two thousand years," the Doctor reminded her.

She shook her head, "He says he hardly remembers it".

"Ah!" the Time Lady stopped her, holding up a finger, "But sometimes, when he thinks that no one is looking or that he's alone, you'll see him staring off into space…" she trailed off, letting that sink in a bit as Amy blinked, realising that she was right. She smiled at her, "That's the thing, everyone's memories are a jumbled mess, each one bringing with it more confusing emotions, because that's what life is all about, just a huge bundle of mixed up experiences, of emotions or memories".

"Memories of…" the Doctor paused, quickly thinking of an example, "A holiday they've couldn't have been on, or a party they never went to…" a smile crossed his face as he glanced at the Hatter, "Or met someone for the first time and felt like they've known them all their lives".

She smiled back at him, because that had been exactly how it had been with them. It hadn't mattered that she had been shy and quite naive while the Doctor had been confident and just so outwardly happy; they had instantly connected and formed a friendship, despite the fact that she had very nearly knocked him out with a book. She shook her head and looked back to Amy, "All around us, time is being rewritten, Amy, every single day it happens," she told her, "And people, they think that something is wrong with their memories, but there's nothing wrong with them".

"The past is _really_ like that," he finished, nodding along with the Time Lady.

Amy stared at them for a long moment, "…that's ridiculous".

The Hatter laughed, "Isn't it just?" she grinned, winking at her.

The Doctor smiled widely and clapped, walking back over to the controls, "Amy, put your hand here," he called back over to them, pointing to one of the controls.

She followed after him, eyeing the device curiously as the Time Lords began typing something into the controls, "What is it?" she asked, putting her hand on the device.

"It's the TARDIS telepathic circuit," the Time Lady informed her, hitting a switch.

She sighed slightly, "What do I do?"

"Nothing," the Doctor said, shaking his head, "Just relax," he moved around her and hit a couple of buttons.

The Hatter pulled a lever and reached up, pulling the monitor screen around to look up at the screen, "Right, then," she smiled, reading the results, "According to this, your saddest ever memory was…" her eyebrows rose in surprise, "At a fairground in 1994," she glanced back across the controls to Amy, "Ring any bells?"

"No," Amy shook her head quickly, before she paused, frowning, "Hang on…" she turned to look at the Time Lady, "Did I…did I drop an ice cream? That _can't_ be my saddest memory".

The Doctor's expression grew slightly sadder, "Remembering ice cream is always sad," he remarked seriously.

The TARDIS stopped suddenly with a soft thump and the noise from the engines faded, making them all look up, Amy blinking in surprise, "Did we just _land_?" she asked.

"Yep," the Time Lady grinned, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

She frowned at them, shooting the doors a quick look, "Where are we?"

"What happened after you dropped the ice cream?" the Doctor looked back to her.

"Nothing, I cried," she replied, and they gave her a pointed look. She frowned slightly, looking away from them, "No, no…" she shook her head, "Hang on, there was a lady…and she bought be another one," she corrected herself.

"Lovely," the Hatter smiled, nodding encouragingly, "And exactly what did she look like?"

"She looked like, she…" she broke into a small smile, seeming to be recalling her fondly as her eyes drifted away from them again, "She had a funny dress, a nightdress…" she laughed slightly, "She had red hair. Doctor…" her laughter faded as she frowned, "Hatter…" she looked back up to them, only to find that they had crossed the room and were now standing by the door, looking back to her with smiles. She sighed, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" she questioned, stepping away from the controls to stand at the top of the stairs, still frowning, "What is the point?"

"That lady that bought you another ice cream," the Time Lady began, raising her eyebrows at her, "Did she say anything to you?"

"'Cheer up, have an ice cream'".

"Amy, time and space is never ever going to make any kind of sense," the Doctor told her as the Hatter smiled slightly, "A long time ago you got the best possible advice on how to deal with that. So!" he flashed her a grin and grabbed the doorhandle, "I suggest you go and give it!" he urged her, pulling the doors open to reveal the fairground in 1994, at night time.

Amy looked between them both for a moment, "Okay…" she began to make her way down the steps, walking over to join them at the doors, "Okay, so I ask you two a big important question about life and you're basically telling me to go and buy myself ice cream".

"Not quite," the Hatter shook her head, smiling widely at her as the Doctor draped his arm around her shoulders, "What we're telling you to do is to go out there and buy the _four_ of us ice cream," she winked at her playfully, "Never will you hear either the Doctor or I turn down ice cream, Amy".

"Even you, Hatter?" she sighed, looking at her in surprise.

She shrugged, "What? I'm craving strawberry ice cream now".

The Doctor looked back outside the doors, taking the Hatter's hand, "I love fairgrounds," he commented happily, quite excited at the prospect of getting ice cream and maybe going on a few rides, though he wasn't entirely sure what rides would be on offer that the Hatter would really be able to enjoy.

"I hate you both," Amy muttered.

The Hatter laughed, reaching across the Doctor to playfully flick her nose, just like he was so fond of doing to her, "No, you don't," she said cheerfully.

"Do you two get scared on ghost rides?" the Doctor asked them, leading the way out the doors, "I get a bit scared, so is it okay if I hold your hand, Amy, just I'm not sure if the Hatter can go on the ride…"

"So says the Oncoming Storm," the Time Lady rolled her eyes fondly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sweetheart!"

 _ **You're getting this a bit sooner than usual because of how short the chapter is, but I have to say that I really loved writing this mini episode for some reason. Oh, and I've also finally finished writing the one-shot for Midnight that I said I was going to write ages ago and never got around to, it's now in my collection of one-shot stories, 'Time and Space'. Anyway, I really hope that you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_


	12. Chapter 12 The Rebel Flesh, Part 1

_**The Rebel Flesh, Part 1**_

Muse's song called 'Supermassive Black Hole' bleared through the TARDIS console speakers as Amy and Rory played a game of darts on a board that they had set up in one of the roundels by the front doors, the two of them laughing as they took turns, keeping score on a black board that they had hanging up beside the dart board, all four of the ships occupants completely ignoring the mess that the rest of the console was in with bits of clothing having been tossed around, some littering the floor. The Doctor and the Hatter stood back up at the controls, looking at the monitors screen as they continued to run the same scan over Amy, but still nothing changed, the results still kept flashing between positive and negative.

Rory stood before the board, preparing to release the dart in his fingers as he took aim, concentrating as he threw the dart and it hit the board with a small, dull thud. He broke into a grin, looking very pleased with himself.

"Forty six," Amy remarked as she wrote the latest score down on the chalkboard, glancing back over her shoulder to him, "Rubbishy, rubbishy, rubbish," she smirked.

"Hello?" he frowned at her, pointing at the dart board, "It's a double top".

She shook her head at him, moving into position to take her turn, "Wrong side of the wire, mister".

"You're on the oche, Red," he reminded her, moving to stand by the black board.

Amy laughed slightly, aiming her dart up at the board, "No, I'm not. Stop trying to put me off".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, glancing back over the happy, smiling couple, both of them completely unaware of just how worried both Time Lords truly were for Amy. The scanner results hadn't changed in the slightest over the past several months, so they had come to the only real conclusion that they possibly could come to, which was that Amy _was_ pregnant, but that the Amy they had been travelling with all this time wasn't the real Amy.

The Time Lady had already suspected ever since America that something had happened to the girl, that perhaps she had been kidnapped and cloned, which was what would account for the strange readers that the TARDIS was getting. If this Amy wasn't the real one but still connected to her real body, then the TARDIS would find it hard to tell the difference between the two, hence the different readings. It would also account for why Amy hadn't shown any symptoms. If the real Amy truly was out there and pregnant, then they needed to find her fast. The Hatter had around made a rough guess of how far along she would have to be judging by America, guessing that she would have to have been at least two to three months pregnant already by the time they had met them in the dinner, which meant that she would be well and truly about to give birth by now. They had to find her and her child, and as soon as possible.

The Doctor sighed heavily and reached across the controls, flicking a switch that turned the music off, the Hatter flicking the screen off, "Who wants fish 'n chips?" he asked, looking over to the humans, hoping to find a way to get them out of the way for a little while so that they could investigate a promising lead that they had discovered.

Rory turned around for the blackboard and raised his hand.

The Hatter smiled broadly at him, amused, "Excellent," she glanced at the Doctor, "We know a brilliant little shop, you simply have to try the crab sticks. We'll drop you off".

"Take your time," the Doctor added quickly, pointing over to them, "Don't rush," he turned back to the controls, preparing to enter the coordinates.

Rory and Amy frowned, exchanging a slightly confused look before he looked back over to them, "Er, and you two?" he asked, realising that they hadn't mentioned a thing about them joining in.

"Oh, we've got plans," the Hatter said, trying to sound as casual as she possibly could, which was probably failing badly. She avoided looking at them as she focused on the controls, "Things to do…"

The Doctor nodded, skidding across the glass floor as he came around the other side of the controls, "Yes, things involving…" he looked away from them, trying to think of a believable excuse, "…other things".

The Time Lady tried hard not to cringe; knowing that they really weren't doing a very good job of trying to sound causal and like they weren't up to something. They should probably have just held up a big, flashing neon sign that said 'we're lying!' and save themselves the trouble and embarrassment of even trying to pretend differently.

"Well, we'll stay and come with you," Amy said, making her way up the steps towards them, still frowning slightly at them as Rory followed, "We'll do other things".

"Nope," the Doctor shook his head quickly, pulling a lever, exchanging a hurried look with the brunet as she stepped around to stand beside him.

Amy eyed them carefully, pointing the end of one of the darts she was still holding at them, "Whatever you're up to, I'd personally like to be a part of it," she told them firmly. The Time Lords looked at each other again, almost seeming worried, "What?" she questioned, her frown deepening as she tried to laugh it off.

The Hatter took a step forward, opening her mouth, when the sound of a klaxon horn bleared loudly throughout the room and the TARDIS began jolting violently. The Doctor immediately grabbed the Time Lady, pulling her closing to him as Amy screamed, trying to grab hold of the console while Rory clung onto one of the railings, all of them desperately trying to keep their balance as they were jolted around. The Time Lords managed to get back over to the console controls, struggling to run around them as they worked to try and steady the time machine.

"It's a solar tsumnami!" the Hatter called, grabbing the monitor and swinging it around to look at the results, "It's coming directly from the Earth's sun!" she winced as the TARDIS gave a sharp shake. She grabbed a lever, pulling it down, "There's a tidal wave of radiation, a massive one!"

"Oh," Rory groaned from across the other side of the room, half hanging off the railing as he gripped his stomach, "My tummy's going funny!"

"It'll be over soon, Rory!" she tried assuring him, knowing just how he felt, though she had luckily moved past that stage of her pregnancy now.

"Well, the gyrator disconnected!" the Doctor announced, moving around the brunet's side, "Target-tracking is out!" he grabbed a lever and tried pulling it with a grunt, but nothing happened. His head snapped around to look at the Hatter, his eyes widening in alarm, "Assume the position!" he shouted.

Amy screamed and took off running over to one of the jump seats, hunching over with her head between her legs, her hands covering the back of her head. Rory spun around on the spot for a moment, looking completely clueless as to what to do, before he simply dropped onto the floor, covering his head, too. The Doctor and the Hatter clutched each other, kneeling onto the ground as they grabbed hold of the console above them, the Doctor doing everything he possibly could to try and protect the Time Lady from being jostled around, when they suddenly landed with a hard thump that made them all jump slightly, before everything stilled. Slowly, Amy and Rory looked up, panting slightly as the Doctor helped the Hatter back onto her feet, still clutching each other.

The Doctor broke into a broad smile, looking at the brunet proudly, "Textbook landing," he said brightly.

The Hatter rolled her eyes, reaching up to straighten her hat, "Like you would even know," she muttered.

"I read our textbooks at school!" he defended himself quickly.

"There's a difference between looking at the pictures and reading, Doctor".

"There's….you…" he opened and closed his mouth, letting go of her to wave his hand at her, searching for the right word. She simply raised her eyebrows at him, "Oh…hush, you," he muttered, blushing faintly.

She laughed and planted a kiss on his cheek, "Never, sweetheart".

He grinned back at her and took her hand, leading the way around the console and down the stairs, heading over to the door. He pushed them open and they stepped out to find that they seemed to have landed on an island out in the middle of the ocean that had a large stone ruin that towered over them, looking as if it might have once have been a monastery. The Hatter blinked slightly, eyeing the weathervane that was sitting on the top of the main spire of the building, spinning around in the wind. Now that certainly didn't belong, which meant that someone must have recently installed it.

"Behold!" he exclaimed, holding a hand up towards the spire as Amy and Rory stepped out of the doors from behind them, "A cockerel! Love a cockerel," he said fondly, moving closer towards one of the stone walls, "And underneath, a monastery," he turned back around to face them, taking a moment to calculate the era in his head, "Thirteenth century".

"Oh, we've gone all mediaeval," Amy commented, looking up at the building curiously.

"I'm not sure about that," Rory shook his head, looking around.

"Really?" she raised her eyebrows at him, not noticing the Time Lords wondering away from them, hand-in-hand, "Mediaeval expert, are you?"

"No, it's just that…I can hear Dusty Springfield".

They all stopped and listened carefully, hearing over the noise of the wind 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me,' playing softly from within the monastery. Amy and Rory looked at each other before following after the Time Lords, who had only moved a short distance away and were examining an exposed pipe that was in a hole in the ground.

"Interesting," the Hatter muttered, running her eyes along the pipe as the Doctor crouched down on the edge of the hole, "Have a look at this fissure, it's new. The solar tsunami would have sent out a massive wave of gamma particles," she frowned, casting her eyes around, "This would have been caused by a magnetic quake that began right before the wave hit".

"Well, the monastery's standing," Amy pointed out, glancing over to them.

The Doctor frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a snow globe, giving it a shake, watching for a moment as all the little flecks of white snow floated around inside, "Yeah, for now," he agreed grimly, tucking it back inside his pocket.

"Hey, look," Rory said, nodding down at the pipe where the words 'Danger-Corrosive,' was written across the side of the pipe in black print.

"Ah, yes, that would make sense," the Time Lady nodded, moving around to the side of the pipe to take a closer look at the warning, "This is a supply pipe, though for what…" she looked back to the Doctor.

The Doctor retrieved his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and flashed it over the pipe, before checking the results, "Ceramic inner lining," he determined, climbing back onto his feet as he frowned again, "Something corrosive," he looked back across to the Hatter, tucking the sonic away, "They're pumping something nasty off this island to the mainland".

"Acid, perhaps?" the brunet murmured, nodding thoughtfully, though she couldn't be sure until they knew more.

"My Mum's a massive fan of Dusty Springfield," Rory remarked fondly, looking back up at the building with a slight smile crossing his face.

"Who isn't?" the Doctor said, glancing back over to them, "Right, let's go," he clapped his hands and grabbed the Hatter's hand again, the two of them leading the way over to a set of wooden stairs that went up into the monastery, "Satisfy our rabid curiosity," he grinned at the brunet.

"Hear, hear!" the Hatter cheered, laughing as she high fived him.

They made their way up the stairs, Amy and Rory following close behind them, the music still drifting through the air around them as they reached the top of the stairs and made their way through a large, wooden gate and through to a courtyard-like area, looking curiously around at all the ancient building surrounding them, most of it seeming to be still in quite good condition and liveable, though the Time Lady imagined it would still be terribly draftee.

"So where are these Dusty Springfield loving monks, then?" Amy asked as she trailed behind the Time Lords, looking around.

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver back out of his jacket and flashed it around as they walked, scanning, "I think we're here," he meet the Hatter's eyes, "This is it".

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Rory questioned, frowning deeply at his back, "We've never been here before".

"Oh?" the Hatter said absently, not really listening as she cast her eyes around as they made their way up another set of wooden steps.

"We came here for accident," Amy reminded them, starting to frown, as well.

"'Accident?'" the Doctor repeated, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs and spinning back around to look at them. The Hatter's eyes widened and she hastily nudged his side, trying to do so as discreetly as she possibly could. He jumped and glanced at her, earning a pointed look, "Yes, we know," he nodded quickly, turning back to Amy and Rory, who were both eyeing them strangely, "Accident".

"Nothing out of the ordinary," the Time Lady said, clearing her throat as she shifted awkwardly "Happens all the time".

Rory didn't seem to notice anything odd as he caught sight of another pipe running out from some of the stonework beside the stairs railing, reaching out to touch it, when he suddenly pulled it away, "Ah!" he cried, pained, shaking his hand rapidly, "Ow!"

The Hatter hurried back down the stairs to him, grabbing his injured hand as he winced, "Yes, as I thought," she sighed, examining the nasty red burn that had appeared on his fingertip, "Acid, that's what they're pumping off this island".

"That's old stuff," the Doctor added, gesturing over to the pipe, "Fresh acid, you wouldn't have a finger".

"Cheery," the Time Lady smiled faintly, and gave Rory a comforting look, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Here, put this on…" she reached into her jacket pocket and found a box of bandaids, handing him a bright yellow one with little pictures of stars scattered across it.

Rory blinked slightly and took the bandaid, eyeing it, "Uh, thanks…"

A siren suddenly began going off, "Intruder alert," a computerised voice sounded, making them all look up, "Intruder alert…"

The Doctor, who had continued walking while they had been distracted, came dashing back to them, "There are people coming," he told them, before pausing, "Well, almost".

Amy looked up to him, frowning slightly at the way he worded it, "Almost coming?"

"No," the Hatter shook her head, tucking the box of bandaids away inside her jacket once more, "Almost _people,_ " she corrected, making her way back up the steps and taking the Doctor's hand, the two of them heading off again.

Amy followed after them while Rory remained behind, "I think we should really be going…" he began, just a little bit reluctant to be going any further after almost getting his finger burnt off by acid.

"Come on!" Amy shouted back to him.

"I'm telling you," he reluctantly started walking up the steps, "When something runs towards you, it is never for a nice reason".

Amy rolled her eyes and jogged back to him, grabbing his arm and dragging him along after her.

….

The Time Lords, Amy, and Rory made their way further into the monastery, jogging up and into a large room to see several people hooked up into human shaped harness all around the room in small window alcoves, each one wearing a matching orange jumpsuit and seeming to be sleeping.

"What are all these harnesses for?" Amy asked, looking around the room, jogging after the Time Lords as they didn't pause or slow in the slightest, making their way over to an older, dark haired woman at the furthest end of the room.

"Uh, the almost people?" Rory suggested, shrugging, completely clueless himself.

"What are they, prisoners?" she looked back to the Time Lords, who had turned away from the woman, their eyes flying all around the room, seeming to be taking it all in, "Or are they meditating, or what?"

"Well, at the moment they fall into the 'or what' category," the Doctor replied, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter as they took a step back towards the middle of the room.

"Halt and remain calm," the computer ordered over the still blearing alarms, making them all pause and look up again.

"Well, we've halted," he glanced back to the others, "How are we all doing on the calm front?"

"Personally, I'm feeling quite chill right now," the Hatter commented happily, before making a face and shaking her head, thinking over what she had just said, "Oh no, I'm never saying 'chill' again. Blimey, now _that's_ a much better word for me".

The Doctor smiled fondly, about to say something, just as three people ran into the room, an older and slightly younger man, followed closely by a dark haired, young woman, both men carrying two lance-like weapons that they had aimed at them. The Time Lords moved closer together, eyeing the weapons carefully.

"Don't…move!" the older man shouted as the men approached them.

"Stay back, Jen," the younger man called back to the woman, not taking his eyes off the four of them, "We don't know who they are".

"So let's ask them," the woman, Jen, said reasonably, turning to the strangers, "Who the hell are you?"

"Hello, I'm the Hatter," the Time Lady introduced herself, smiling broadly as she gave them a little wave.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor added cheerfully, "And this is Amy and Rory…" he gestured to the humans as he spoke, breaking into a grin, "And it's all very nice, isn't it?"

Amy frowned as she slowly looked around the room, taking note of the fact that both of the men standing before her, currently pointing weapons at them, looked identical to two of the men also hooked up into the harnesses around the room, "Hold up," she cut in, looking back to the men, growing quite confused now, "You're all…what are you all?" she asked, shaking her head, "Like, identical twins?"

The three men and woman frowned at them slightly, seeming confused, just as another young man and the older, dark haired women entered the room through a door off to the side of the room, both wearing thick, dark brown suits made from some sort of protective material.

"This is an Alpha Grade industrial facility," the older woman said calmly, eyeing the four strangers as she neared them, seeming to have an air of authority about her, "Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in _big_ trouble".

"Actually, _you're_ in _big_ trouble," the Doctor replied, and pulled the psychic paper out of his breast pocket, holding it up for her to see.

She frowned, reading it, "'Meteorological Department?'" she said suspiciously, grabbing the paper off him, "Since when?"

"Since you lot got hit by a rather nasty solar wave," the Hatter informed her, crossing her arms across her chest, trying hard to look professional in her bright yellow shoes.

"Which we survived".

"Just, by the looks of it," the Doctor cast his eyes around the room, before looking back to her, very serious, "And there's a bigger one on the way".

"Which we'll also survive. Dicken, scan for bugs".

The young man that had entered the room with her stepped forward, holding a scanner device in his hand, "Backs against the wall," the first young man ordered from behind them, still pointing the lance at their backs, "Now".

The Doctor and the Hatter held up their hands, smiling pleasantly at them as they slowly backed back towards the stone wall behind them, Amy and Rory carefully following suit with their own hands held up.

"Apparently, we were wrong," the Hatter glanced back to Amy and Rory, making sure not to make any sudden movement, since they all seemed to be a little trigger happy for her taste, "This isn't a monastery, it's a factory. A twenty second century factory that seems to be mining acid and, at a guess, I would say owned by the army," she threw the lances a quick, wary glance, "Judging by the weapons".

Amy blinked, looking back to the men and women still eyeing them carefully as they reached the wall, pressing their backs against the cold, uneven surface of the stone, "You're army?" she asked, sceptical.

"No, love," the main woman rolled her eyes, "We're contractors, and you're trespassing".

Dicken's moved closer to them with the scanner, holding it out towards them for a moment, before checking the results, "It's okay, boss," he announced.

"All right, weatherman, your ID checked out," the woman remarked as the Doctor and the Hatter moved back over to her, "If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it?" she handed the psychic paper back to the Doctor, "Hand out sun block?"

"You know, you remind me a little bit of a younger me," the Hatter said thoughtfully, smiling slightly as she thought about her Third regeneration's fondness for sarcasm.

The Doctor fake chuckled, growing serious almost at once as he fixed the woman with a look, "We need to see your critical systems".

She gave them both a long look, "Which one?"

The Hatter grew just as serious, meeting her eyes, "Oh, I think you know perfectly well".

…

The woman in charge, Cleaves, as they soon learnt, lead them down into another room that had a large vat sitting on a slightly raised platform at the back of the room, while in front of it there was a large, open tub that could have easily have fitted a fully grown person within it. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look as they stepped further into the room, taking it all in carefully as they made their way around to the opposite side of the vat, peering over the rounded edge to see it filled with a milky white, bubbling liquid, hardly even noticing as the others entered the room after them, their eyes fixed onto the substance.

"And there you are," the Doctor murmured, taking the Hatter's hand.

"Meet the government's worst kept secret," Cleaves said, looking over the bubbling liquid, not seeming to notice just how interested the Time Lords seemed to be by it, "The Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level".

"Right," Amy nodded, her breath rising into mist in the cold air, "Brilliant. Lost…"

"Okay," she frowned slightly, glancing over to her, "Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into _anything_ ," she explained, "Replicate a living organism down to the hairs on its chinny chin chin. Even clothes. And everything's identical. Eye's, voice…"

"It's mind," the Hatter added softly, her eyes still glued to the liquid, "Their soul".

"Don't be fooled, Hatter," she looked back over to them, her eyes coming to rest on the Time Lady, "It acts like life but it still needs to be controlled by us, from those harnesses you saw".

"Wait, whoa, hold on!" Rory cut in, his eyes widening slightly as he shook his head, "So…you're Flesh _now_?"

She looked back to him, calm, "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are, except Jennifer here," she nodded across to where the younger, dark haired woman was standing, "Don't be scared. This thing, just like operating a forklift truck," she gestured to herself.

The Hatter frowned at her, crossing her arms across her chest as she stepped around the vat towards her, leaving the Doctor leaning his arms against the edge, "But you just said so yourself, it's learning to grow," she reminded her, nodding her head back towards the vat, "Only _living_ things learn to grow".

"Moss grows," the Time Lady's frown deepened, not liking just how uncaring she seemed to be speaking about the Flesh, "It's no more than that. This acid is so dangerous we were losing a worker every week. So now we mine the acid using these doppelgangers. Or 'Gangers'. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid…"

"Then who the hell cares?" the first young man, Ganger Buzzer, looked across to Jen, "Right, Jen?"

Jen looked up, almost seeming startled for a moment, "Nerve endings automatically cut off, like airbags being discharged," she told them as the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, eyeing the bubbling surface, "We wake up and get a new Ganger".

"It's weird," the older male Ganger, Jimmy, agreed, "But you get used to it".

"Jennifer," Ganger Cleaves turned to the young woman, "I want you in your Ganger. Get back to the harness".

Jen sighed slightly, looking almost reluctant, before she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

The Hatter moved back over to the Doctor's side, noticing him preparing to scan the Flesh. She grabbed his arm, making him pause and look back to her, "Be careful," she said firmly, not knowing just what might happen to him if the Flesh got a taste of his DNA.

The Doctor smiled softly, gently kissing her forehead, "Always am, dear".

"If always is never, then of course you are," she shook her head fondly.

His smile widened even further before he forced himself to grow serious, turning back to the vat and aiming his sonic screwdriver over the surface of the Flesh, scanning it.

"Hang on," Ganger Buzz called, frowning as he noticed what the Doctor was doing, "What's he up to?" he demanded, "What are you up to, pal?"

The Doctor's hand began shaking, his knuckling turning white as he held onto the sonic screwdriver, his expression growing tenser as he tried to pull his arm away. The Hatter's eyes widened, growing alarmed as she realised that something wasn't right.

"Doctor, what is it?" she asked urgently, resisting the urge to grab his arm and pull it away herself, "What's…" her eyes snapped down to look at the Flesh, wondering if perhaps it could be reasoned with, considering the fact that it was alive, regardless of what Cleaves and the others might believe, "Hey!" she glared at the Flesh, "Let him go, right now!"

Suddenly, whatever pull the Flesh had held over the Doctor vanished and he stumbled back, almost falling over, but the Hatter grabbed the sleeve of his jacket before he could, helping to regain his balance, "Ah!" he gasped, taking a deep breath, glancing at her gratefully, "It was like…for a moment there it was scanning _me_ ,"

"Incredible," the Hatter murmured.

He tucked the sonic away and moved back over to the vat, holding his hand out over the surface of the bubbling Flesh.

"Doctor…" Ganger Cleaves began, watching him.

"Ah!" he suddenly cried out in pain, his hand once again seeming to be taken hold by the force of the Flesh, his hand shaking as the Flesh began bubbling even more as he tried to pull his hand away.

"Get back, Doctor. Leave it alone!"

"Doctor!" the Hatter shouted worriedly, grabbing his arm, feeling it shaking beneath her finger tips as he tried desperately to pull it away from the Flesh. She used all of her strength to try and help him, hoping that she wouldn't end up bruising his arm to badly, when he finally broke free with a loud gasp of pain, his eyes snapping open as he stumbled back with her.

"I understand!" he breathed, his eyes widening, suddenly spinning around to grab the Hatter's shoulder's, making her blink at him in surprise, "Can I…?" he pointed up to his temple.

It took her a moment for her brain to catch up with what he was asking before she realised that he wanted to know if he could show her what he had learnt. She very nearly smiled, finding it very sweet that despite being married and best friends for so long, he still felt like he had to ask if he could enter her mind, though she had to admit that she couldn't help but fall just a little bit more in love with him for it. The Master had entered her mind once without her permission when they had been in school and ever since then she had become very careful and sensitive about people entering another's mind without their permission first. On Gallifrey, it was considered to be one of the very worst violations that someone could do to another person.

"Of course," she allowed her smile to cross her face. He returned it and lifted his fingers up to her temples and pressed his forehead against hers, their eyes automatically closing as their minds opened up to each others. It took less than a second for him to transfer his memories across to her and once he did, her eyes flew open with a gasp, staring back at him as his own eyes opened and he pulled back slightly to look at her properly, "That's…" she trailed off, sounding almost breathless.

"Doctor…" Amy started, looking between the Time Lords, confused and slightly concerned, "Hatter, are you alright?"

"Incredible," the Doctor finished for the brunet, who could only nod in amazement, her eyes drifting back over to rest on the bubbling surface of the Flesh. He looked back over to Amy and the others, "You have no idea," he gasped, " _No idea_. I mean…" he looked back to the vat, gesturing up to his head as he spoke, "I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it and it to me".

"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor," Ganger Cleaves told him, rolling her eyes.

"How can you be so blinkered?" he glared at her, the Hatter's frown returning as she pulled her gaze off the surface, "It's alive. _So_ alive. You're piling your lives, your personalities directly into it…"

Lightening crashed outside, the sound of the thunder rumbling so loudly throughout the room that it actually made the stone shake slightly. The Doctor reached into his pocket and retrieved the snow globe, eyeing it carefully.

The Hatter winced as the ground shook beneath them, "And that'll be the solar storm we warned you about," she sighed, raising her voice slightly to be heard, grabbing the Doctor's shoulder to steady herself, "The wave always comes in pairs, and the fore-shock is always the worst".

"It's close," the Doctor agreed, tucking the snow globe back inside his pocket as the shaking and lightening finally calmed, taking the Time Lady's hand as they walked back around the vat.

"Buzzer…" Ganger Cleaves turned to the young man, "We got anything from the mainland yet?"

"No, the comms. are still too jammed with radiation," Ganger Buzzer reported.

"Okay," she nodded, glancing around to the rest of her crew, "Then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says 'stop," she focused on the Time Lords, "Now, why don't you stand back and let us impress you?" she gestured over to the tub.

They all looked at the bath and watched as the milky white liquid of the Flesh began to pour into it from a pipe, steadily filling the tub as they gathered around to take a closer look. After a moment, lines began to form in the liquid as a blurry outline of a face started to form, and then a mouth appeared and two eyes suddenly grew, snapping open to stare back up at them. Slowly, the Flesh started to condense into itself and a human body took shape, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and taking on the appearance of Jennifer, right down to her hair being tied back in a ponytail, except her face was only half-formed, her skin still having the Flesh's milky white colouring and almost moist glean to it. She grabbed hold of the edge of the tub and pulled herself upright with a gasp, her face now fully-formed, not looking the slightest bit different from the original Jennifer.

The Doctor and the Hatter stared at her, their eyes widening as they slowly exchanged a look, slightly amazed and even a little impressed by the technology. The Time Lady was stunned that she had never come across the Flesh before, but then she supposed that she very well could have and not have known a thing, judging by just how accurate Jennifer's Flesh copy looked to the original.

"Well, I can see why you keep it in a church," the Doctor remarked, rubbing his hands together as he glanced back to the Ganger Jennifer, "Miracle of life".

"Huh, I didn't even catch that one," the Time Lady smiled at him, amused.

"No need to get poncey," Ganger Buzzer scoffed at them, not seeming to share the Hatter's amusement, "It's just gunge".

"Guys, we need to get to work," Ganger Cleaves cut in firmly.

"Okay, everybody," Ganger Jimmy nodded, helping Ganger Jen to climb out of the tub, "Let's crack on".

Lightning and thunder rumbled outside once more, making Amy and Rory flitch and eye the ceiling worriedly. The Hatter ignored the noise, frowning deeply the Ganger's, "Did you lot conveniently forget about the little issue with a solar storm that's about to hit this place?" she asked them, crossing her arms across her chest, "You have to get out of here, get somewhere safe".

"Where do you want us to go?" Ganger Jimmy questioned, looking back to the Time Lords, "We're on a tiny island".

"Well, we can get you all off it," the Doctor replied calmly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ganger Cleaves rolled her eyes, walking past them, "We're got a job to do".

The Hatter took a deep breath and closed her eyes, grabbing the Doctor's hand, tasting the metallic twang at the back of her throat, "It's getting closer," she said quietly, opening her eyes to look at him, "There isn't much more time until it hits".

Suddenly, an alarm began blearing; making the Ganger's pause and look up.

"That's the alarm," Ganger Jen commented warily, glancing back over towards the Time Lords.

The Doctor quickly looked back over to them, "How do you get power?"

"We're solar," Ganger Cleaves informed them, still seeming to be completely unconcerned, "We use a solar router. The weathervane".

"Oh, that's not good," the Hatter groaned, shaking her head, "That's very not good".

Ganger Jimmy frowned slightly and turned back to Ganger Cleaves, "Boss, maybe if the storm's back we should get underground," he suggested, starting to look a little concerned, "The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit".

"We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out," Ganger Cleaves reminded him, shaking her head, "We fall behind, we stay another rotation," she looked back to the rest of her crew, raising her eyebrows, "Anyone want that?"

The Hatter almost growled in frustration, "Oh, when will we meet a group of humans that actually listen to us for once?" she complained, and quickly grabbed the other woman's arm, holding it tighter when she tried to pull away, "Please, just listen," she said, a touch of urgency entering her tone, meeting her eyes, "You're making a huge mistake and you're putting yourself and everyone else's lives in danger right now. Forget about the job, what's important is that you are all still _alive_ to actually do the job once this is all over. If you don't do something to prepare for this storm, then there's a very high chance that some of you might just die here today. You have to listen to us, please!"

She glared at her, "My factory, my rules," she said simply, yanking her arm out of her grip and walking away. The Time Lady sighed heavily and closed her eyes briefly.

The Doctor watched her go, shaking his head as he turned to Ganger Jen, "We need to check the progress of the storm," he told her, talking fast, "Mentoring station?" he clicked his fingers at her, but Ganger Jen hesitated, looking uncomfortable, "Monitoring station!" he insisted, snapping his fingers at her again.

" _Please_ ," the Hatter said hurriedly, giving the young woman a gentle smile, seeing her jump slightly, "It's important".

Ganger Jen sighed, "Three lefts," she answered, "A right and a left. Third door on your left".

"Thank you," the Doctor nodded to her, giving her a quick thumbs-up before he took the Hatter's hand, the two of them heading out of the door, Amy and Rory following close behind them.

…..

It didn't take them very long before they managed to find the monitoring room, dashing into the rounded room just as the entire building began shaking, the storm mere minutes away from hitting. In the middle of the room, a large metal column went up into the roof, attached to several monitors and controls that were sparking as they arrived.

"Oh, this isn't good!" the Hatter called over the noise of the thunder outside, glancing back to Amy and Rory as they stepped through the doorway, "The storms waves are going to disturb the Earth's magnetic field!" she hurried over to the controls, ducking just as the panel nearest to her sparked, "There's going to be a massive and very nasty power surge!"

"See this weathervane?" the Doctor gestured up towards the ceiling for Amy and Rory's benefit, moving to the brunet's side as she began working at the controls, her hands flying across the keypad, "The cock-a-doodle-do? It's a solar router feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits…" he glanced back over to the humans, "Ka-boom!" he turned back to the Hatter, who had finished typing, "I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose," he ran across to an archway with a staircase that lead up to the roof, spinning back around to grin at them, "I never thought I would say _that_ again".

The Time Lady smiled and swiftly kissed him, "Just be careful and try not to fall off the roof," she told him sternly, sighing fondly, " _Again_ ".

"I'll try, dear," he grinned at her, planting a kiss on her forehead, very nearly knocking her hat off in process as he turned on his heel and ran up the stairs and out of sight.

She shook her head and turned back to Amy and Rory, her smile dimming as she focused on the red head, "Amy, remember to focus on breathing," she said to her suddenly, growing very serious. Amy blinked, confused, but the brunet was already going back to working on the controls, "I want you two to get back to the harness room," she instructed them over her shoulder, "Keep an eye on the others, okay? Make sure they get out of them alright".

Amy frowned, glancing blankly at Rory, "Yeah," she nodded, eyeing her strangely, "I mean, thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind".

"Please do," the Hatter muttered, her attention on the screen before her, a slight frown crossing her face.

Amy and Rory exchanged an equally baffled look before hurrying back out of the room to do as she had told them to do. The Time Lady twisted a dial and pressed a button, glancing back up to see the screen fill with static before it cleared very slightly, allowing her to get an live video feed of what was going on up on the roof. The image wasn't very good, but it was still good enough for her to watch as the Doctor made it out onto the roof, pausing to stare across to where the solar router was spinning around and around in the strong wind, lightening flashing in the sky above him.

He quickly dashed across the roof and over to the small tower that housed the router, throwing the wooden door open. She lost sight of him for a moment as he disappeared inside the small tower torrent and she groaned as the image flickered, quickly hitting another button. She managed to get the image back, but barely and she could only just make out through the static on the screen what appeared to be the Doctor climbing up the ladder that lead up out of the top of the torrent and along the side of the router's tower.

"Come on, sweetheart," she breathed, gripping the edge of the control panel with white knuckles, desperately wishing that she could have gone out there with him, but in her current condition that would have been impossible. She watched tensely as he climbed up to a small power box, but just as he reached out to grab the doorhandle, the video feed cut out and the machinery sparked. She yelped and jumped back, turning her back on the sparking, when suddenly the biggest clap of thunder that had sounded so far rang out and everything turned black…

….

The Doctor awoke with a jolt, his eyes snapping open to find himself lying on his back on the roof, his mind taking a moment before he remembered that he had fallen off the tower with the storm had finally hit. He sat up sharply, ignoring the wave of dizziness that came over him as he looked up at the top of the tower to see that the weathervane was completely gone, nothing but black smoke swirling in the air where it once was while lightening continued to flash across the sky.

He climbed back onto his feet and ran back across to the doorway, almost tripping down the spiral staircase in his hast to get back to the Hatter, needing to know that she and the baby were okay. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, jumping down the last two steps to find the Hatter sprawled across the stone floor, her hat lying a short distance away from her and her hair covering her face.

"Hatter!" he cried, feeling his hearts skip a beat at seeing her lying so still. He ran to her side and fell onto his knees, not even noticing the bruising impact upon his knees as he pushed her hair off her face and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, flashing it over it, checking the results. He sighed in relief and closed his eye briefly, willing his hearts to calm as the results came back fine. Both she and they baby were fine, in fact they were better than fine, they were both perfectly healthy.

He noticed the Hatter's eyes start to flicker before they opened, blinking up at him blearily for a moment, "Doctor?" she murmured, making him smile and place a hand on her cheek.

"I told you I would be careful," he said lightly.

She frowned slightly, eyeing him for a moment, "You fell off the tower, didn't you?"

"No, I…." he paused, sighing as he realised that there really wasn't any point lying to her, "Okay, yeah, I did a bit".

She began to smile, when her eyes widened and a look of panic crossed her face. She quickly sat up, her hand flying to her stomach, "The baby…" she began, almost frantically.

"Shh, it's okay," he quickly assured her, covering her hand that was resting on her bump, his smile growing softer, "You're both fine. The baby is strong, just like you".

She sighed in relief and closed her eyes tightly for a moment, before she winced, "And it seems to have inherited your ability to kick," she remarked, her eyes opening once more to look at him, sounding more fond then annoyed as she winced slightly again, "Honestly, if this is any indication for what he or she is going to be like when it starts walking, we're going to be in trouble".

"With our genes, I think we are going to be in trouble no matter what our child inherits from us".

"Ah, yes, you do make a good point there".

The Doctor laughed and took her hands, helping her back onto her feet, placing a steady hand on her lower back when she wobbled slightly. She gave him a grateful smile, watching as he stepped over to where her hat had rolled off and picked it up, moving back over to her to settle it back on top of her head.

"There," he smiled broadly at her, looking proudly at his handiwork.

The Hatter returned his smile, reaching up to adjust her hat slightly, "We really ought to be checking on the others".

He clicked his fingers at her, only just remembering that they had more important things to be doing, "Yes, right," he took her hand again, the two of them making a dash out the door.

They ran back through the hallway and down a set of steps, finding themselves back in the main courtyard where they found Cleaves standing at the foot of the stairs, staring up at the sky, looking slightly dazed.

"Cleaves, you're not in your harness!" the Doctor called to her as they jogged down the steps towards her, the Time Lady taking extra care as she went.

Cleaves looked over to them as they neared, "I'm sorry," she said to them, her voice sounding softer then they had heard it since they had first meet her, "You were both right".

The Hatter sighed, glancing at the monastery, "I'm afraid that the factory lost power in the storm," she informed her, recalling how the live video feed had died right before she had been knocked out.

She looked between them, guilt crossing her face, "Doctor, Hatter, I abandoned my team".

The Doctor lightly clapped her arms, "Then let's go get them," he said simply, grabbing her hand and the Hatter's, leading the way back inside the monastery, making their way down another hallway. After a while of walking in silence, he glanced at Cleaves, "How long would you say we were unconscious for, Cleaves?" he asked her.

"Not long," she replied, shrugging, "Minutes, two minutes?"

"Oh, I'm going to say that it was a bit longer than that," the Hatter remarked thoughtfully.

"Well, how long?"

She sighed grimly as they came to a stop at a crossroads in the middle of the hallway, "About an hour, give or take a minute".

The Doctor nodded, looking very serious as he glanced back to Cleaves startled expression, "I've seen whole worlds turned inside out in an hour," he said solemnly, thinking back to a time when the Master had very nearly destroyed the Earth by trying to save his own life. Thankfully, the Hatter hadn't been involved in that little adventure, though thinking about it now she probably would have been a great help after he lost his memories due to a rather nasty regeneration, "A lot can change in an hour".

He and the Time Lady continued walking as Cleaves sighed heavily, cringing slightly before following after them. Soon enough, they found themselves running up a set of stairs and back into the harness room to find Amy and Rory already there, the red head checking on Buzzer, Dicken, and Jimmy, while Rory comforted a rather distressed looking Jenifer.

"Doctor, Hatter," Amy called as they hurried into the room and over to them, "Look, these are all real people, so where are their Gangers?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Don't worry," Cleaves told her as the Doctor looked around, as if he might actually find the Gangers hiding in one of the darkened corners of the room. The Hatter moved to try and help Rory with Jen, eyeing the girl worriedly as she clung to Rory's arms, "When the link shuts down the Gangers return to pure Flesh," she explained, focusing on her team, "Now, the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time".

They all froze as Dusty Springfield began playing in the distance.

"That's my record," Jimmy realised, frowning, "Who's playing my record?"

"I believe it's your Gangers," the Hatter said calmly, looking up at the ceiling, "Looks like they've decide to go for a little stroll".

"No, it's impossible," Cleaves insisted, shaking her head, "They're not active. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves, and Ganger's don't…" she trailed off as the music grew slightly louder, the truth finally hitting her:

The Gangers had gotten loose.

…

They followed the sound of the music that led them to a large hall-like room that had been set up like a dinning/rec-room, slowly parting a set of thick, plastic curtains that hung over the archway as they crept into the otherwise empty room as the sound of the song filled the air from where a record player was set up.

"No way…" Buzzer breathed, staring around the room for any sign of the Gangers hiding, but it was clear that they had missed them.

"I don't…" Cleaves shook her head, slowly stepping further into the room, her eyes wide, "I don't believe this".

"They could've escaped through the service door at the back," Jimmy commented, pointing across the room to a second doorway.

"This is just like the Isle of Sheppey," Buzzer said, casting his eyes around the room.

The Doctor and the Hatter made their way up to the end of the long table in the middle of the room, taking a seat as they eyed the house of cards that one of the Gangers had carefully built before them, "It would seem the storm has animate your Gangers," he remarked thoughtfully.

"They've ransacked everything," Cleaves frowned, looking around at the clothing that had been tossed all around the room, most of it ending up on the ground.

"They weren't _ransacking_ ," the Hatter corrected, shaking her head, "They were _searching_ , there's a difference".

"Through our stuff!"

"To them, it belongs to them, too," she replied simply.

Jimmy looked back over to the Time Lords, looking slightly startled by the idea, "Searching for what?" he asked.

"Confirmation," the Doctor answered at once, prepared for the question, "They need to know their memories are real".

"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now?" Buzzer huffed, throwing the house of cards a dark look.

The Hatter sighed, "Their just trying to form a connection to their lives," she tried to explain, though she doubted that anything she or the Doctor might say was really going to have much of an effect right now.

"Their _stolen_ lives," Cleaves cut in, glaring slightly.

"No, _bequeathed_ ," the Doctor said quickly, looking across the room to her, "You gave them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, everything".

"You are the reason that they are _alive_ ," the Hatter continued, nodding along with him as she looked around to each member of the team, "You gave them not just life, but your very _lives_ and _memories_. They are you in _every_ way that matters," she smiled faintly, "You humans with your lives, so short and yet so bright, why wouldn't your Gangers want to live just like you lot do?"

"I'll say it again," Buzzer shook his head, "Isle of Sheppey," the others looked at him in confusion, the Time Lords sighing and exchanging a look as he went on, "Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness," the other's grew alarmed, some even looking slightly horrified, "I've seen the photos. The bloke's ear was hanging…"

"Even if this has actually happened…" Jimmy interrupted sharply, looking slightly unsettled, "They can't remain stable without us plumbed in to them, can they, boss?" he looked over to Cleaves.

Cleaves considered it for a moment, "I guess we'll find out," she said quietly.

Jennifer suddenly gasped, leaning against the edge of a large box, her face very pale, drawing everyone's attention to her. The Hatter frowned and rose from her chair, eyeing the girl worriedly.

Rory turned to her, "Are you okay?" he asked her, concerned as he moved towards her, "Do you need some water?"

"I feel funny," Jen told him weakly, looking ill, "I need the washroom…" she hurried out of the room, pushing the plastic curtain apart and disappearing out of sight.

Rory hesitated, glancing back to the Time Lords, meeting the Time Lady's eyes as she gave him a nod and small smile. She would have gone after the girl herself, but it seemed like Jennifer and Rory had developed something almost close to a friendship already and besides, Rory was more than capable of taking care of the woman if she was ill.

"I'll come with you," he called after Jennifer, running after her, disappearing out of sight.

Dicken sneezed loudly into his hand, making Amy jump and flitch slightly. His head snapped back up, glancing at the red head apologetically, "Sorry," he muttered, sniffing.

"…okay," Amy waved him off.

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Hatter before he leaned forward, eyeing the house of cards closely.

"That's me," Buzzer said, noticing his interest in the cards, "It's good to have a hobby. So what?" he frowned, glancing at the house of cards and back to the Time Lords, "My Ganger did that all on its own?"

"Who taught you to do this?" he asked, nodding to the cards.

"My Granddad".

"Your Ganger shares the same memories as you do," the Hatter reminded him, "If your Grandfather taught you how to do this as a child, then so did your Ganger," she gestured towards the house of cards as she spoke, "Everything that you remember, he does too, exactly like you do, just as real and clear".

Buzzer shook his head, "No," he snapped, slamming his hands down onto the house of cards, knocking them over.

The Doctor frowned at him as the Time Lady sighed heavily, "They're scared, disorientated, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads," he tried to make them understand.

….

Jennifer and Rory still hadn't returned from the bathroom, while, in the meantime, the Doctor had decided to have a poke around in the small kitchen that they had set up along the side of the room, finding a couple of pre-made meals. He grabbed one of them and put it on a plate as the others gathered around the table, the Hatter sitting beside Amy with a frown on her face as she listened to the human's talk.

"We need to protect ourselves," Jimmy was saying to the others, a glint in his eyes that made the Time Lady feel nervous, just as she always felt whenever she saw a human get that look in their eyes. It never ended well for anyone.

"Tell me, Jimmy," the Hatter cut in, crossing her arms across her chest as the Doctor stuck the plate in the microwave behind her, "Are you a violent man?" she asked him, fixing him with a long look.

He blinked at her, surprised, "No".

"If that's so, then why would you even worry about the possibility that the other Jimmy is, too?" she raised her eyebrows at him, keeping her tone light, "After all, he is everything that _you_ are".

He stared at her, startled by the questioned, and for a second he actually looked unsure of just how to respond.

Cleaves glanced back over her shoulder to the Doctor, hearing the hum of the microwave starting up as he began heating up the meal, "Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor," she remarked, eyeing him as she stepped over towards him.

"It's not for me," the Doctor replied, shrugging as he spun around to flash the Hatter a smile, "Believe me, my wife's scary when she's hungry".

"Pregnant and hormonal," the Time Lady grinned back at him, holding up a hand, "Need I say more?"

He laughed and shook his head fondly, before forcing himself to grow serious as he turned back to Cleaves, "You told us we were out cold for a few minutes, Cleaves, when in fact it was an hour," he said, frowning at her.

Cleaves shook her head, confused, "Sorry, I just assumed…"

"Well, it's not your fault. Like I said, they're disoriented".

"Amy," the Hatter glanced across to the girl, her eyes quickly moving back to rest on Cleaves, who looked even more confused than before, "Tell me, when you got to the alcoves, who had already managed to get themselves out of their harness?"

"Um…" Amy paused, thinking back, just as the microwave dinged and the Doctor grabbed a dishcloth as he popped the door open, grabbing the plate out of the machine with his hand protected against the heat by the cloth, "Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out," she informed them.

The Time Lady nodded, "And what about Jennifer, where was she?"

"She was standing on her own when we got to her".

"Interesting, very interesting".

The Doctor turned and handed the plate to Cleaves, who took it with her bare hand, not flitching in the slightest bit at the hot surface of the plate. He eyed her carefully for a moment, "It's hot," he told her.

Cleaves hissed painfully and dropped the plate, which shattered as it hit the stone floor, "Ah!" she opened and closed her hand, looking down at it to see not a single mark or burn.

The Hatter rose from her chair, walking over towards them as the Doctor took her hand, examining it, "That'll be due to the transmitter still being a bit rubbery," she commented thoughtfully, giving the woman a comforting smile, "The nerve endings are extremely complex, I imagine they must take longer to fuse properly".

Ganger Cleaves snatched her hand away from the Doctor's, staring at them both, "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"It's okay…" the Doctor tried to assure her, holding up his hands.

"There's no need to panic," the Hatter said gently, resisting the urge to try and reach out to touch the Ganger.

Slowly, she looked back up to them, almost fearful, "Why didn't I _feel_ that?"

"You _will_ ," the Doctor gave her a kind look, "You'll stabilise".

"No, stop it. You're playing stupid games. Stop it!" she shouted, making them both jump slightly as she backed away from them and turned away, staring down at her hand.

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter, who sighed but nodded in agreement, knowing that while the Gangers were still trying to stabilise and in such a emotional state, there was no telling just what they might do out of fear and confusion. He stepped closer to Ganger Cleaves, slowly approaching her, "You don't have to hide," he said softly, "Please, trust me. I'm the Doctor".

Ganger Cleaves whirled back around with a loud hiss, her face half-formed and having taken on the milky white of the Flesh. The Doctor stepped back from her, taking the Hatter's hand as Buzzer grabbed a knife off the table and went to run over to Ganger Cleaves, but Jimmy grabbed him, holding him back as he struggled.

"Where's the real Cleaves, you thing?" Buzzer shouted at the Ganger, glaring, "What have you done with her?"

"Shh, it's okay," the Hatter smiled at Ganger Cleaves, forcing herself to ignore Buzzer, raising her voice slightly to speak over the man's shouting, "You're okay. You remember".

"This is early Flesh," the Doctor commented, eyeing Ganger Cleaves half-formed face curiously, "The early stages of the technology…"

The Time Lady reached out and took her hand, giving her a comforting smile and squizzing her hand as she flinched, releasing a shuddering breath at the contact, "It's okay," she said soothingly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Goodness, you have so much still to learn…" her smile widened, delighted as Ganger Cleaves very slowly and almost fearfully, tightened her grip on her hand.

"Doctor, Hatter," Amy cut in, looking backwards and forwards between the Time Lords and Ganger Cleaves, "What's happened to her?"

"She can't stabilise," the Doctor replied, glancing back to Amy, but he swiftly returned his attention back to the Hatter and Ganger Cleaves, just in case something went wrong and he needed to pull the Time Lady back, "She's shifting between half-formed and full-formed, for not at least".

Ganger Cleaves let go of the Hatter's hand, suddenly glaring furiously at the Doctor, "We are living!" she cried, and lunged at him with a hiss, forcing him to stumble backwards as she took off running across the room for the door with a scream, disappearing out the door as the others stared after her.

The Hatter blinked, slightly startled by how suddenly she had turned, but she did note that Ganger Cleaves hadn't tried lunging at her when she was closer to her then the Doctor had been, a much easier target, "Let her go," she told the others, taking the Doctor's hand, "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

The Doctor shifted slighted, looking even more stunned then the brunet, "That was…unexpected".

"Doctor!" Amy gasped suddenly, spinning around to look at them, her eyes widening fearfully, "Hatter. Rory!"

He frowned, giving her a confused look, "Rory?" he repeated.

The Hatter's eyes widened, "Oh, my…Rory!" she exclaimed, her hand flying up to cover her mouth, unable to believe that she had forgotten all about Rory and the fact that he had gone off, alone, with Ganger Jennifer without having any idea what was going on.

"Oh, Rory," he nodded as it finally hit him what they were getting at, "Rory!" he shook his head and pointed at Amy, "Always with the Rory!"

And with that, he grabbed the Hatter's hand and took off running out of the room; Amy and Jimmy following close behind them.

 _ **And finally, I got around to posting this. I apologise for not updating it last week, I had planned to, but I watched 'Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them,' and I loved it so much that it got me distracted by the Potter Universe all over again, and, as usual, a story idea popped into my head and I've been unable to think of anything else all week. I don't know if I will ever actually post the story, but I really wasn't expecting just how much fun it is to toy with and how fond I've grown of the OC, so if anyone is curious about it, send me a PM and I'll happily tell you a bit more about it.**_

 _ **Anyway, I've got to say that the Rebel Flesh isn't one of my favourites. I don't know why, I just wasn't overly fond of the episode, but I did love watching the Doctor interact with his Ganger. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **A good Master? Sounds like an interesting idea, I would imagine that the Doctor would have to take on the Master's evil role, though, but still an interesting idea to toy around with. Same for the idea about a story of the Hatter leaving Gallifrey but the Doctor staying behind, so I might just do an AU chapter for Time and Space that involve those ideas, if I ever get the time, of course. Thank you for the idea and review :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Hmm, what episode am I least looking forward to writing? Oh, that's a tricky one, mainly because it's not so much an episode, but more like scenes from episodes. For instance, I'm both excited and very, very nervous about writing the 'Day of the Doctor,' just because it's such a hugely important and emotional episode, and the scene when the Doctors and Clara are about to activate the Moment is one that I can't wait to reach and can't help feeling worried about not doing it it's proper justice for what I have planned in my head. It's going to be a very emotional episode that one and the more emotional the more nervous I usually get about not giving it its full justice. But, as for episodes, I guess I'm not overly fond of 'A Town Called Mercy'. I'm not into Weston's and it just didn't capture my attention like Doctor Who usually does, so I've only ever watched the episode once since it very first aired and I don't think I even really watched it properly, I think I got distracted because I just didn't like it as much as other episodes.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **Ooh, what am I looking forward to in the next season? Hopefully more Classic Who references, I love Classic Who and seriously need more references. I'm also hoping that Jenny the Doctor's Daughter will turn up again, but I'm not holding my breath on that one and really wouldn't be surprised if we never see her again, but I do think that it would be a missed opportunity. But as for the show, just a lot of running and adventures and I can't wait to see what the latest companion will be like.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I actually have thought about writing an AU about what would happen if the Ninth Doctor found the Hatter, and I would imagine that they would have ended up together a lot faster than with the Tenth Doctor. Ten had feelings for Rose, he might not have been in love with her like he was with the Hatter, but he still felt something for Rose and that held him back from telling the Hatter. But Nine, he would have probably have ended up confessing his feelings for her by the end of the first season, if not in the middle of it. Nine was still grieving for her, his pain was still fresh, he wouldn't have waited very long to be with her if he got her back. For some reason, I can just imagine Nine being a lot more assertive in regards to just coming straight out and telling the Hatter how he felt about her. As for Rose, you're right; she and the Hatter would have been very close without the jealousy getting in the way.**_

 _ **And for the Eleventh, well, it actually breaks my heart a little bit just imaging what would have happened if Eleven had been the one to find the Hatter. He would have still loved her, but River would have complicated and changed everything for them. You're right, they wouldn't have had a child or gotten married, the Hatter would have been a lot more interested in finding her own TARDIS and going off on her own. It would have simply have been too painful for her to be in love with him and to watch as he slowly fell for River, unable to do anything but smile and act as if she was overjoyed for them when really, inside, she would have felt as if someone had stabbed her in her hearts.**_

 _ **As for Twelve, it would have been different again. Twelve would still have feelings for her, buried deep, deep down after centuries of being without her and they probably would have just have had a very close friendship like they always have had. Too much time would have passed between them for anything romantic to happen, and I imagine the Hatter would have been very sad to see what her best friend had done and all that he had endured. But, even still, they would still love each other, just very, very deep down.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **That's…actually a very good idea and one that I will have to think about. I've actually got a plan for the Hatter's mother, though she's not a part of the Council, but she is involved and there will be a scene with her and the Hatter, though that is a long time off and I'm known to change my mind as I'm writing even after carefully planning a scene.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **I didn't write Love and Monster because it just didn't have any impact on the story because it didn't involve the Doctor or the Hatter until the very last scene. It wouldn't have been worth writing it when the story is written mainly from the Hatter's perspective. I almost didn't write Blink for the same reason, but in the end I decided that it was an important episode for the sake of the Angels and I managed to turn it into a chapter that also featured quite a bit about the Doctor and the Hatter's relationship. Also, Love and Monster's is possibly my least favourite episode of them all and to me, seems more like a filler episode, so I didn't bother.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **The Gifted One as more like a useless title by the time the Hatter was born. In the ancient days of Time Lord history, the Gifted One was a Time Lord that was born with a higher than average telepathic ability, and you have to remember that this was during a time when Time Lords communicated only through their minds, so having a high telepathic ability was very important and highly regarded. They were also considered to be smarter, though that isn't completely true with the Hatter because the Rani was just as equally as clever as she is and the Doctor could also be considered to be just as smart, it's just that the Hatter and the Rani were better academically then he was. The Gifted One is also considered to have superior sensors, the Hatter has excellent hearing and sense of smell, even for a Gallifreyan, and flexibility.**_

 _ **The Gifted one, as I mentioned above, was a pretty useless title by the time the Hatter was born. In the old days they were highly regarded and expected to help build Gallifrey, so it could be speculated that Rassilon himself was a Gifted One, but by the time the Hatter came along Gallifrey was already well established and the title become more of a traditional one rather then one of any great importance or need. She was still treated like the past Gifted Ones had been and had great expectations placed on her, but she wasn't needed and the Hatter has always considered it to be the most ridiculous title and position that she has, hence her rebelling against it and her disdain for the title. So, basically, the Gifted One is a title that while still greatly respected and regarded on Gallifrey, is nothing more than an old tradition and Time Lords have always been rather set in the old ways of doing things.**_

 _ **To be honest, one of the things that I regret bringing into this story has been the whole Gifted One thing. I began writing these stories four years ago, when I was about fourteen, fifteen and I've grown a lot since then and now that I look back on them, this is one element that I wish I hadn't come up with, but it's now become such a big piece to the Hatter's past that it would be impossible for me to completely erase it, but you might have noticed that I try not to bring it up in the stories if I can help it :)**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **That sound like a very interesting idea and I'll have to seriously consider it and how I could make it work, but at this point my knowledge on anything to do with audio adventures is nearly nonexistent, so I won't be doing anything from any of the audio adventures until I've got around to listening to any of them. I'm afraid that I'm one of those people who has to research almost every little bit to try and make sure I'm being accurate, so I'll really have to listen to the adventure before writing anything for it. But thank you for the idea and suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **Oh, no, it really is fine. I'm one of those people who will read the last page of a brand new book just to make sure that their favourite character hasn't been killed off. Seriously, I know it's terrible, but I just have to know and make sure otherwise I just end getting more and more worried. I'm constantly asking my dad to tell me spoilers from TV shows that we both watch, but he never does. I do tend to avoid Tumblr if there is a new episode of Doctor Who, but I really don't mind if I get a sneak peek or spoiler, I knew that Clara had died an hour before I even got to watch the episode. So don't get upset, I really don't mind spoilers and I really do hope that you don't feel too bad because I seriously don't mind.**_

 _ **That's very nice of you, I'm so glad that you like the stories, and you have no idea how happy you made me getting all of these reviews. 11 in total for one chapter! I almost died of shock and happiness, and nine in total from you. I really am stunned and so grateful, so don't feel bad about spoilers, you couldn't possibly have made my day any better :)**_

 _ **So, for all nine reviews, thank you so, so much :)**_


	13. Chapter 13 The Rebel Flesh, Part 2

_**The Rebel Flesh, Part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter ran through the monastery's stone corridors, Amy and Jimmy running right on their heels in an effort to find Rory and Ganger Jennifer before anything happened. The Time Lady knew that she would never forgive herself if anything happened to Rory; after all, she had been the one who had let Rory go with Ganger Jennifer to the bathroom. At the time she hadn't thought anything of it, just that Jennifer seemed more comfortable around Rory then any of them, but if he did end up getting hurt, it would be her fault.

They dashed through the hallways and out through a large wooden door that had been left slightly ajar, only to be forced to come to a sharp stop as their path was blocked by fresh acid that had leaked out across a large section of the corridor ahead of them from a damaged pipe, the substance hissing faintly as the acids odourless fumes spiralled up into the air.

"That doesn't bode well," the Hatter remarked warily, eyeing the large acid puddle before them.

"Explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds," Jimmy realised, using a torch in his hand to light up the puddle for them to see more clearly, "We're going to need the acid suits".

"No, no, no," the Doctor shook his head quickly, taking the brunets hand and pulling her back slightly from the edge of the puddle, "We haven't got time".

"He's right," the Time Lady agreed, frowning worriedly, "We need to find Rory".

"Back, back, back!" he told Jimmy and Amy, who both jumped back from the puddle as the acid started to leak across the floor towards them. He ushered them back up the corridor before leading the way off down another corridor.

Jimmy quickly took the lead, since they really didn't know where they were even going, and guided them back through the monastery, managing to avoid coming across any more acid leaks on their way to the bathroom. They hurried through a doorway and down a spiral stone staircase that opened up into a large, darkened bathroom. They came to a stop at the bottom of the steps, staring across to where a large hole had been burnt into one of the toilet stalls directly facing the sinks.

"Rory!" Amy cried, looking around the room for her husband, but it was empty.

"Of course," the Doctor sighed, eyeing the hole, "Jennifer's a Ganger, too".

Amy spun back around to look accusingly at the Time Lords, "You said they wouldn't be violent…" she began.

"And ordinarily they _wouldn't_ be," the Hatter agreed calmly, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, seeing how upset she was getting, "But they _are_ frightened and angry, still adjusting to everything that has happened, and sadly, when someone's just gone through a traumatic event, which this _is_ , they will react on instinct and lash out".

"An early technology, is what you said," Jimmy reminded them, frowning at the Time Lords. The Doctor turned away and stepped over to the sink, looking at the smashed mirror, "You seem to know something about the Flesh," his eyes narrowed.

Amy blinked, looking quickly between them, the Doctor still with his back turned to them while the Hatter ducked her head, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket, "Do you?" she asked suspiciously, "Doctor? Hatter?"

They didn't answer, the Doctor finally turning back around to face them, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter that didn't go unnoticed by Jimmy or Amy.

"You're no weatherman," Jimmy stared at the Doctor, his expression growing harder, "Why are you _really_ here?"

"We… _I_ have to talk to them," the Doctor said, looking directly at the Hatter, ignoring everyone else, "I can fix this".

The Hatter didn't miss the fact that he had purposely corrected himself after saying 'we,' but for the moment she decided to simply let it go, "You're going to need to act quickly," she nodded.

He grabbed her hand again and they set off back up the staircase, Amy sighing in exasperation and hurrying after them.

"Wait!" Jimmy called, running after them, "What's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?"

No one answered, not having clue themselves as to where the original Jennifer could possibly be in the large building, so instead they continued on through the corridors, making their way up another set of stone steps, hurrying off down another darkened corridor, when spray of acid suddenly bust out of a damaged pipe that ran along the side of the tunnel wall, splashing onto the ground. They came to a quick stop, inches from getting splashed.

The Hatter's eyes widened, glancing at the Doctor, who had been nearest to the pipe, "Goodness," she breathed, alarmed, "You very nearly lost your nose, sweetheart".

The Doctor took a step back, looking quite startled himself by the near miss, "It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks," he commented, turning back around to face the others.

"Definitely," the Time Lady agreed at once, casting the damaged pipe another careful look.

"We have to find Rory," Amy insisted, frowning at them.

"And we _will_ ," the brunet assured her, placing a comforting hand on Amy's shoulder, glancing back to the Doctor, "We just have to find a way to do so without getting our faces burnt off in the process, preferably," she sighed, throwing another look at the pipe.

The Doctor clicked his fingers, an idea popping into his head, "I'll go back to the TARDIS," he told them, "Wait for me in the dining hall. I want us to keep together, okay?" he pointed a stern finger at Amy, "No more wondering off".

The Hatter frowned, once again noting the fact that he had completely left her out, "If you're going to get the TARDIS, I had best come with you," she said firmly, fixing him with a look, "I can help you pilot her…"

"Nope," he shook his head, focusing on her, his expression determined, "It's safer for you here, less chance of running into any more nasty acid leaks".

She narrowed her eyes, "I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Doctor".

He smiled fondly, reaching forward to cup her cheek, "Believe me, dear, I know better than anyone just what you're capable of doing," he said, his expression softening, but his eyes still held the same determined glint in them that told her that he hadn't changed his mind, "But I need to know that you're safe…or as safe as it's going to get," she continued to frown at him, still not looking the slightest bit pleased that she was getting left behind while he got to go off and track down the TARDIS. It made her feel useless, a feeling that she wasn't very used to feeling, "Please?" he practically begged, giving her a pleading look, "For me? Just stay where it's safest".

"I am not some helpless little girl that must be protected from everything, Doctor. Why must it be that you always do the dangerous things and refuse to let me do it for once? This is a marriage based of equality".

"Fine," he sighed, nodding reluctantly, his mouth twitching very slightly, "But at least think about the baby…"

"How dare you pull the pregnancy card of me!" the Hatter exclaimed, outraged as she glared at him. She battered his hand away from her face, "That's not fair!"

He broke into a broad smile, looking quite pleased with himself for having managed to find exactly what he needed to win their little argument. There was no possible way that she could come up with an excuse for why she should still go with him, putting herself in unnecessary danger, when she had their child to worry about. Plus, it was always nice when he actually did manage to win a fight against her, since it didn't happen that often, "I think it's perfectly fair," he said happily, "You and the baby will just have to stay behind where it's safest".

Her glare didn't waver, "I hate you".

"No you don't!" he laughed, planting a quick kiss on her cheek, which she allowed with a huff, however, her eyes did soften as he leant down to drop a kiss onto her baby bump. He straightened, pointing his finger at her, "Stay safe".

"Same goes for you, mister," she replied sternly.

He smiled widely and tapped an invisible hat to her, making her slowly smile as he began to head off back the way they had just come.

"Hey!" Amy called, frowning at them, "What about Rory?"

The Hatter sighed as the Doctor's back disappeared around a corner, "I must agree with him," she said, glancing back to Amy, "It will be far safer to search for Rory and Jennifer with the protection of the TARDIS," she gave her a small smile, "We'll find him, Amy, I promise".

Amy still didn't look completely happy, but she still nodded in reluctant agreement.

Jimmy cast his eyes around the small space, "Here we go…" he said suddenly, stepping back over to where a metal box was attached to a wall by the stairs. He pulled the door open, withdrawing a large yellow container, "Distress flairs!" he grunted, sitting the box down onto a stone ledge by the stairs, before turning back to shut the door, only to gasp and jump back at finding the Doctor standing right beside him, having been hidden behind the door.

The Doctor didn't seem to be the slightest bit concerned about the fact that he had just given Jimmy a fright, looking completely oblivious, "Exit?" he asked him.

He exhaled loudly, looking slightly annoyed, "Keep going straight," he instructed him, pointing off down another hallway, "Can't miss it. But you're never going to get your vehicle in here".

He smirked, "I'm a great parker," he turned and headed off in the direction that he had told him.

The Hatter rolled her eyes fondly, "We'll see about that," she muttered. She would be impressed if he didn't end up winding up parking the old girl in a puddle of acid, not that it would really damage her to much, though it certainly wouldn't win him any favours with her.

Amy frowned slightly; moving back to take another look at the small puddle of acid that had splashed onto the floor beneath the broken pipe, edging closer towards it.

"We really need those acid suits," Jimmy sighed, grabbing his torch and the box containing the distress flares, "I've sent Buzzer and Dicken to get them".

"Fine and dandy," Amy commented, and the Hatter turned around to find that she had jumped over the acid puddle while they hadn't been looking, "I'm just going to find my husband, so cheers. Hatter, you with me?"

The Hatter broke into a broad smile, not hesitating in the slightest to carefully jump over the puddle of acid, which was luckily small enough for her to do so without too much fear of falling, joining Amy on the other side, "Never let it be said that I would turn down a bit of adventure," she said cheerfully.

Jimmy's eyes widened, looking back to them, "But….I wouldn't…" he began worriedly.

"Come on, Jimmy!" the Time Lady called back to him, linking her arm with Amy's, "We can't just wait around here all day, can we?" she and Amy set off down the corroder, watchful of every step that they took.

"At least wait for the acid suit!" he tried.

"Come along, Jimmy!"

….

Amy and the Hatter continued making their way carefully down the narrow corridor, Amy walking slightly ahead of the Time Lady, who was using a torch that she had found in her pocket of her jacket to scan the walls and ground for any more damaged pipes or leaks. After a few minutes of walking they came across a wooden door just up ahead from them.

"Rory?" Amy said loudly, moving closer to the door, "Rory?" she slowly edged closer to the door and reached out, pushing the door open. She carefully peered into the next room.

The Hatter glanced back down the hallway that they had just come from, holding her torch up high to cast the light out further, "I do hope that Jimmy didn't decide to stay behind," she remarked softly, not entirely pleased with the idea of leaving anyone behind, alone, like that. It was better that they all stayed together in situations like this, "If something happens to him…"

Amy suddenly gasped and jumped back, slamming the door shut.

"Amy?" she asked worriedly, alarmed as she instantly moved to her side. She threw the now closed door a quick look, wondering what on Earth she possibly could have seen behind that door to react like that, "What's wrong?" she turned back to her, peering into her pale, unsettled face, "Amy?"

"Amy!" Rory's voice suddenly rang out from behind them. They both jumped and whirled around to find Rory standing just a few steps behinds them in the edge of the torchlight.

"You're okay," Amy breathed, staring at her husband as relief flooded her face, her previous fright seemingly forgotten. The Hatter broke into a broad smile, delighted and very relieved to see Rory again, unharmed, by the look of it. Amy began walking towards him, "What happened?" she questioned, but she came to a sharp halt when she caught sight of Ganger Jennifer standing behind him, peering around his body.

"Oh," the Hatter blinked, mildly surprised for a moment to see the young woman there, but her surprise faded quickly to be replaced with a gentle smile directed towards the nervous looking Ganger, "Hello, Jennifer".

Rory focused on Amy, who was still eyeing Jennifer , "She needs protecting," he told them, seeming to be speaking more to Amy then the Hatter, since the Time Lady appeared to be more then welcoming towards Ganger Jennifer.

Buzzer and Dicken appeared from a doorway further down the corridor from them, "Jen?" Dicken called as they approached them from behind Rory and Ganger Jennifer, looking hopefully to the Ganger.

"No, it's a Ganger," Amy informed them, looking back to Rory, frowning deeply, "Rory, listen…"

"No, you listen," Rory cut across her, determined, "Nobody touches her!" he pointed warningly at Buzzer and Dicken, who came to a stop.

The Hatter smiled broadly, stepping forward, "Well said, Rory," she said proudly, fixing Amy, Buzzer, and Dicken a sharp, pointed look, "And no one will be doing anything to Jennifer, not under my watch, do you understand?" she told them, her tone deadly serious as she placed a comforting hand on Ganger Jennifer's shoulder, "She is under my protection".

"Hatter…" Amy began, taking a step forward, frowning slightly at the Ganger.

"Under _my_ protection, Amelia," the Time Lady fixed her with a sharp look. Amy didn't seem to be overly thrilled, but she knew better then to try and continue the discussion any further when the Hatter had that sort of look on her face. However, almost instantly, the serious and almost dangerous mood surrounding the brunet seemed to just vanish and she was back to smiling brightly again, "Excellent," she went on cheerfully, clapping her hands together, "Now, how about we get back to the dining hall so that we can have a little sit down and chat while we wait for the Doctor to turn up?" she raised her eyebrows at the others, still smiling, "I for one would very much like to sit down".

….

Just as the Hatter had suggested that they do, they all headed back through the monastery and to the dining hall, gathering around the table in the middle of the room. The Hatter was sitting on one of the wooden benches beside Ganger Jennifer, trying hard to ignore the ache in her lower back. Rory was still standing just behind Ganger Jennifer, while Amy stood across the table from him, leaning against the top of the table with her palms flat against the wooden surface, supporting her. Jimmy was sitting further down, rubbing his head as if it pained him, while Buzzer and Dicken stood on either side of him, eyeing the Ganger.

"Where's Jen?" Buzzer demanded, his expression hard as he looked back across to the Ganger, "What have you done with her?"

"I haven't seen her, I swear," Ganger Jennifer said firmly, looking almost offended by the mere suggestion that she could have done anything to the original Jennifer, "But, look, I'm _her_ ," she insisted, holding her hands out, "I'm just like her. I'm _real_ ".

"You're a copy," Jimmy told her, dropping his hand from his face, glaring back to her, "You're just pretending to be like her".

"Oh, for goodness sake," the Hatter rolled her eyes, starting to grow annoyed with their complete closed mindedness. She fixed the three men with a look, "The Ganger's aren't just _pretending_ to be like you, they _are_ you. They have your entire lives inside their heads, your very personalities and feelings, that's not just something you can fake," she stood from the bench, holding out a hand towards Ganger Jennifer, not taking her eyes off the three humans before her, "This _is_ Jennifer, just simply another exact copy of the original".

Amy frowned, turning back to Rory, moving closer to him, "Rory," she began quietly, casting a quick look back over to the Ganger, "We don't really know anything about them yet…"

"Oh, Amy," the Time Lady sighed, giving her a mildly disappointed look.

Rory glanced back to Ganger Jennifer, before focusing back on Amy, "Well…I know that she's afraid and she _needs_ our help," he replied, determined.

"Rory…" Amy tried, but he held up his hand, cutting her off as he focused back onto Ganger Jennifer.

"Jimmy, Buzzer," Ganger Jennifer looked pleadingly back across to the other men, "Come on, you guys. We've worked together for _two_ years".

"I worked with Jennifer Lucas, not you," Buzzer said coldly.

"Now, there's no need for that, thank you," the Hatter cut in, frowning at Buzzer.

"Okay!" Amy held up a hand, drawing everyone's attention back to her. She fixed a small smile to her face, looking back to Ganger Jennifer, "Let's not do anything at all…"

"Until the Doctor gets here," the Doctor called brightly at the same time as Amy, suddenly stepping into the room. They all turned to look as he strolled further into the room, "Hello!" he said happily, moving straight to the Hatter's side and planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Lovely for you to finally join the party, sweetheart," the Hatter remarked, smiling at him.

"Ooh, a party?" he grinned back to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, "Will there be dancing, dear?"

"There's no such thing as a party without dancing".

The Time Lords banter was cut short when Ganger Jimmy, Cleaves, Buzzer, and Dicken entered the room through the same doorway, fully formed this time. Everyone froze, the Ganger's and originals staring back at each other, their eyes wide with shock and amazement to come face to face with people who were exact copies of them.

"This is…" Jimmy breathed, looking at his own Ganger, startled.

"You're telling me," his Ganger nodded, looking quite shocked himself.

Ganger Cleaves shook her head at them, "Alright, Doctor," she turned to him, "You've brought us together, now what?"

"Before we do anything, I have one important question," the Doctor began, looking very seriously around at everyone, "Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow?" he asked hopefully, and the Hatter blinked, glancing down to see that he was missing his shoes, just wearing a pair of brightly stripped socks. The others simply stared at him as if he was mad, "Size ten?" he continued, not seeming to notice, "Although, I should warn you, I have very wide feet".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows, amused, "Acid puddle, sweetheart?"

"It was dark," he defended himself hurriedly.

She laughed, patting his arm fondly, "This version of you truly is one of your clumsiest".

"Not as bad as your First regeneration going around dropping books on people's heads".

"Hey!" she exclaimed, blushing.

He broke into a soft smile, lightly kissing her cheek, "I wouldn't have had it any other way, dear".

…

Once a pair of brown boots were found for the Doctor, he took a seat on the edge of the dining table with the Hatter sitting beside him, lightly swinging her legs as they hung just above the ground, while Amy stood just behind them with her hands in her jeans pockets. The Ganger's and the originals had both split off onto different sides of the room, staring back across to each other, but Rory had remained by Ganger Jennifer's side, still acting as her protector even with the other Ganger's there.

"You have to understand," the Hatter started, sighing slightly as she looked around at the Ganger's and their originals, "The Flesh, it's so much more then moss, it always has been more. These people…" she held out a hand towards the Ganger's, her eyes on the originals, "They're not just copies".

"The storm has hardwired them," the Doctor nodded, "They are becoming people".

"With souls?" Jimmy frowned slightly, still looking quite stunned.

"Rubbish!" Dicken scoffed, before suddenly sneezing into his hand.

"Bless you," his Ganger remarked, smiling slightly across to him. Dicken sent him a sharp look as he lifted his head.

"We were all jelly once," the Doctor went on, exchanging a smile with the Time Lady, "Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop".

"Yeah, thanks," Amy cut in, grimacing at their backs, really not wanting have this little talk all over again. It was embarrassing enough the first time, plus, the last thing she needed to think about was what went on behind closed doors between the Doctor and the Hatter to end up with, well, proof of what he was saying now, "Too much information".

"Humans," the Hatter said fondly, glancing back to her, a hand resting on her stomach, "Your species do love to contradict themselves, don't they?" she grew serious again, looking back to the Ganger's and their originals once more, "What we're talking about here, this isn't just an accident or mistake, this isn't something that should be pushed under the rug, we're talking about _life_ ," she broke into a small smile, "Beautiful, human, _sacred_ life".

"Do you understand?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, looking at each person in turn. A few of them still seemed a little unconvinced, but no one said a word, "Good," he glanced at the Time Lady, "Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool…"

"Typical," the Time Lady muttered, not the slightest bit surprised.

He gave her a small smile, before growing serious again as he turned back to the rest of the room, "Once I can reach her, the Hatter and I can get you off this island, humans and Gangers, eh?" he told them, "How does that sound?"

"Can I make it home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy asked eagerly.

"What about me?" Ganger Jimmy frowned, looking across to him, "He's my son too".

" _You_?" he glared at him, "You _really_ think that?"

"I _feel_ it".

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"

"Yeah. I drank about eight pints of tea, then they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing," he laughed at the memory, while Jimmy stared at him with wide eyes. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick smile, "No idea why," he shook his head, still smiling, but it grew sadder as he went on, "I miss home, as much as you".

The Doctor looked between them for a moment, before standing, "Look," he cut in, holding his hand up as they all looked at him, "I'm not going to lie to you. It's a right old mess, this," he brightened, pointing at the two Jimmy's, "But as you might say up North, 'oh well, I'll just go to't foot of stairs,'" he put on a Northern accent, laughing slightly, seeming to be having great fun while the rest of the room just looked at him strangely, "'Eee by by gum…'" he smiled broadly, before glancing at the Time Lady, who was trying hard not to laugh, "Or not?"

"Not," the Hatter nodded quickly, smiling widely, "Most definitely a not".

"Good," he clapped his hands and pointed to her, before spinning back to the others, "Right. First step, is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe".

"Once we've done that, then we can leave," the Time Lady agreed.

"But we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves," Amy reminded them, and Rory flinched as Ganger Jennifer suddenly tightened her grip on his hand at the mention of her original.

"I'll go and look for them," Jimmy offered, glancing briefly at his Ganger before he started to head towards the door.

"I'll give you a hand, if you like," his Ganger commented, following him. They both paused by the doorway, looking at each other, "Cover more ground".

"Yeah, okay. Thanks".

The Doctor and the Hatter smiled, delighted to see that Jimmy was finally starting to get along with his Ganger. It was a small step, but one that just went to show how easily the Ganger's and their counterparts could get along if they only tried, if they only let themselves see that they were exactly the same people.

"This circus has gone on long enough!"a voice called from behind them, and they all turned around to find that Cleaves had snuck into the room while they had been distracted, glaring at the Ganger's as she held up some sort of device that was crackling with electricity.

"Oh, great," Ganger Cleaves sighed, eyeing her other self, "You see, that is just so typically me".

"Doctor, tell _it_ to shut up!" Cleaves snapped, looking ready to pounce.

"What are you doing, Cleaves?" the Hatter frowned, slipping off the table, narrowing her eyes at the device in her hand.

"Cleaves, no," the Doctor tried, looking at her as he shook his head, "No. No!"

The Time Lady's frown deepened, realising what the device in the woman's hands was, "That's a circuit prob," she remarked warily.

Cleaves nodded, smirking very slightly as she glanced briefly down at the device, "That's right, Hatter," she agreed, "Fires about, ooh, forty thousand volts?" she looked back to the Ganger's, her expression growing hard again, "Would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on Ganger's just the same".

"It's interesting you refer to them as 'it,'" the Doctor said, frowning thoughtfully as he pointed over to the Ganger's, "But you call a glorified cattle prod a 'she,'" he pointed back to the device in her hands.

"Not to mention highly insulting," the Time Lady added, annoyed. They were so close, so close to finally reaching an understanding between Ganger's and humans, only for something like this to happen. Why did these things always have to happen?

Cleaves kept her eyes fixed on the Ganger's, not lowering her weapon for a second, "When the _real_ people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Doctor," she said calmly.

"What are you going to do to them?" Amy asked, shaking her head.

"Sorry, they're monsters. Mistakes. They have to be destroyed".

"Remember how I said you reminded me of myself?" the Hatter said coldly, still frowning deeply, "I take it back. We're nothing alike," she took a step forward, holding out her hand, "Now, give me the prob and we can sort this all out over a nice cup of tea".

"We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda?" Ganger Cleaves said to her, raising her eyebrows, "Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on".

Ganger Buzzer suddenly ran at Cleaves, but she instantly turned and fired the weapon three times, hitting him in straight in his chest. He staggered back, his eyes wide with shock as he collapsed onto the floor. The Doctor and the Hatter ran to his side, kneeling beside him as the Time Lady desperately searched for a pulse, but there wasn't one.

The Hatter swallowed, lifting her head, "He's dead," she breathed, appalled.

"We call it 'decommissioned,'" Cleaves corrected, glaring as she moved the prob in Ganger Jennifer's direction, making the girl gasp fearful and flinch away from her.

"You stopped his heart," the Doctor looked back over to her, just as horrified as the Hatter, "He had a _heart_! Aorta, valves, a real _human_ heart! And you _stopped_ it".

"Jen?" Rory tried, taking a step towards Ganger Jennifer.

She backed away from him, looking terrified, "What happened to Buzzer will happen to all of us if we trust you!" she cried, her skin and eyes taking on their Flesh appearance.

"No!" the Hatter struggled back onto her feet, desperately trying to fix this. She looked at the Ganger's pleadingly, holding up her hands to show them that she meant no harm as she moved closer, but they only backed further away, "Please, just wait," she said hurriedly, "Just let us…"

Rory didn't let her finish as he suddenly took a running leap at Cleaves, who had the prob aimed at Jennifer, "No!" he shouted, knocking her onto the floor and struggling with her for a moment, managing to disconnect the weapon from its small power pack while the Ganger's took off running out of the room.

"You idiot!" Cleaves glared at Rory, trying to shove him away.

"Wait!" the Doctor called after the Ganger's, but it was too late. They were well and truly gone.

The Hatter stormed over to Cleaves, who climbed back onto her feet with an angry huff, "How could you?" she said angrily, but there was also a note of disappointment in her tone, "You just committed a murder…"

"If it's war, then it's war," Cleaves cut across her, not looking the slightest bit sorry for what she had done, "You don't get it, Hatter, Doctor," she sneered at them, "How can you? It's us and them now," she nodded, turning to Jimmy and Dicken, " _Us…_ and _them_ ".

"Us and them," Dicken agreed, not hesitating.

Jimmy glanced at him before turning back to Cleaves, sighing, almost resigned, "Us and them".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged looks, deeply upset over the sudden turn of events. Just when things were starting to workout, everything they had tried to do went up in flames.

….

Amy and Rory were kneeling on the ground by Ganger Buzzer's body, covering his body with a white sheet, speaking in soft tones to each other. The Hatter sighed as she watched them for a moment, not liking how Amy seemed rather closed off to what Rory was saying to her, while Rory seemed to be trying to explain to her about something. She didn't want to hear what they were saying, she already had a pretty good idea just what it would be about. Amy wasn't happy that Rory had spent so much time with Jennifer, that he had been so protective over her.

The Hatter sighed, turning away from them to glance over to where Cleaves was speaking with Dicken and Jimmy in a small circle by the dining table, the conversation seeming to be quite an intent one, judging by their expressions. Seeing them gathered together like that set off massive warning bells in her head. She looked at the Doctor beside her and could tell instantly that he was thinking the exact same thing. Now that Cleaves had murdered one of the Ganger's, the rest remaining would come after them. Cleaves was right, this was war and soon, the Ganger's would be ready to battle.

The Doctor took her hand and squizzed it, "The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?" he called to the humans behind them, "Cleaves!" he said sharply, when no one answered, "The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?"

Cleaves looked over to them, "The chapel," she replied.

"Thank you".

"Only one way in. Stone walls two feet thick".

"That will work for a little bit," the Hatter sighed, thinking about the room. One way in and out could be just as bad for them as it was for the Ganger's, and she personally thought that the Ganger's had a lot more strength on their side then they did. That door wouldn't last long against them.

The Doctor nodded grimly, glancing back to Cleaves, "You've crossed one hell of a line, Cleaves," he told her, his voice soft, "You've killed one of them. They're coming back, in a big way. Come on!" he suddenly shouted, leading the way out of the room.

The others hurried after the Time Lords as they lead the way out of the room, heading back through the corridors to the chapel. Luckily for them, the chapel was only a short distance away from the dining hall, and they soon found themselves standing just outside the chapel door.

"What about the flares?" Jimmy asked, glancing hurriedly at the Time Lords.

"Never mind that!" the Hatter said, moving aside to help the Doctor usher them through the doorway and into the chapel, "We'll sort all of that out once we're inside".

"Rory!" the Doctor looked back to Amy and Rory as the last of the crew disappeared through the door, "Pond!"

A loud scream suddenly rang out from out in the distance, making the Hatter wince as the sound tore through her. Rory hesitated, looked back down the corridor, before glancing back to where Amy and the Time Lords stood by the door.

"Rory?" Amy turned to him, looking slightly worried, "Come on".

"It's Jennifer," the Hatter realised, seeing how torn he was between following his wife to relative safety and going to help someone lost and alone, possibly facing great danger. If it was her, she knew what she would do, without a doubt.

Rory nodded, making no move to follow them into the chapel, "She's out there and she's on her own," he began to walk back down the corridor.

"Well, if she's got any sense, then she's hiding," the Doctor argued, frowning at him, "Rory!"

"I can't leave her out there!"

"Rory…"

He shook his head, his expression determined as he looked back to them, "I know you understand that".

The Hatter placed her hand on the Doctor's arm, nodding, "Yes, we do," she agreed, her expression very serious, "Just be careful, okay?"

"What, Hatter?" Amy exclaimed, her head snapping to her, before she looked back to Rory, "Get in here!" she pointed back to the chapel, just as the Ganger's entered the corridor ahead of them, wearing acid suits, "Get in here!"

Rory glanced back to them, before dashing off down a side corridor.

"There they are!" Ganger Cleaves shouted as they approached, glaring at them from behind the acid suits visor.

"Amy!" the Doctor said urgently, running forward and grabbing Amy's arm, pulling her back towards the doorway as the Hatter moved back into the room.

"Rory!" Amy cried, just as the Hatter slammed the door shut behind them, just before the Ganger's could reach them.

The Doctor pulled Amy further into the room as she continued to struggle, the Hatter moving to his side as the crew hurried forward to start trying to block the door with whatever they could find and move across to the door, "Amy," he tried to calm her down, grabbing her shoulders and holding her firmly, "They are not after him, they're after _us_ ".

"Why?" a voice whispered from out of the shadows in the back of the room, making the Time Lords both turn to look, "Why?"

The Doctor stiffened, letting go of Amy and moving to take the Hatter's hand, "Show yourself," he called into the shadows, trying to see through the gloom, "Show yourself!"

"Ah!" a pained groan sounded, but still, there was no sign of the voices owner.

The Time Lords looked at each other before slowly stepping closer towards the shadows. For some reason, the Hatter didn't feel nervous or worried, the voice sounded familiar, though it was rather hard to tell when it was more like a pained whisper.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, seeing that they were getting distracted, "Hatter!"

"Pass me the barrel!" Cleaves ordered, reaching to take a large barrel that Buzzer had carted over towards the door.

"We need something heavy," Dicken remarked, looking quickly around, "Anything you can find".

Amy glanced back over to the Time Lords, who were still focused on the shadows, not seeming to be paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on at the door.

"This is insane," Jimmy laughed, leaning against the door, "We're fighting ourselves".

"Yes, it's insane," the Doctor agreed, not looking back to them, "And it's about to get even more insanerer," he frowned, looking back to the Hatter, "Is that a word?"

"Let's not quibble over poor grammar, sweetheart," the Hatter commented lightly, narrowing her eyes through the gloom, "Hello?" she called through the shadows, her voice gentle, "Just step out into the light, we're here to help".

"Doctor, Hatter!" Amy hurried over to them, raising her voice slightly to try and catch their attention, but neither of them looked at her, "We are trapped in here and Rory's out there, with them. Hello! We can't get to the TARDIS and we can't leave this island".

"Correct in every respect, Pond," the Doctor's voice came; only he hadn't opened his mouth and the sound had come from out of the shadows, "It's frightening, unexpected, frankly a total, utter splattering mess on the carpet, but I am certain, one hundred percent certain, that we can work this out".

"Can't be…" the Hatter breathed, her eyes widening in shock. Slowly, she held out her hand.

Out of the shadows stepped a half formed Ganger of the Doctor, smiling broadly as he took the Hatter's hand, entwining his inhumanely pale fingers with hers.

"Trust me," he straightened his bowtie, "I'm the Doctor".

 _ **I am so sorry for the wait, I had no idea it would take that long to finish this chapter. I got caught up with my Sherlock story and then, before I knew it, the school holidays were over and I was back to school. But I got there in the end and hopefully, the next chapter will take a lot less time for me to write. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **I like the idea**_ __ _ **of the Hatter meeting the Valeyard by herself, it would be interesting to see how they interact together without the Doctor being there, I would just have to work out exactly how that would work first. I'm not sure if I see it as a result as something that happened during the Time War, probably before that time, but it's definitely something to think about. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Yep, if the Doctor can't remember Clara, then neither can the Hatter. She would feel obligated to have to forget, even if she had to do it to herself, she still wouldn't be able to continue knowing about Clara without telling the Doctor. That's just not something that they would keep from each other, the Hatter wouldn't be able to do it. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I started writing these stories with the Tenth Doctor rather than the Ninth because Ten was my first Doctor and 'School Reunion' was the very first Doctor Who episode that I've ever watched when I was eight, so they both hold a special place in my heart. I was actually re-watching the episode when I got the idea for the Hatter and it just stuck with me to start the series from there onwards. There wasn't any real reason for why I started it from there rather then Nine, that's just how I started writing and it took off. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I love all the Doctor's for different reasons, but if I really had to pick for New and Classic Who, I would have to pick Ten and Four, but Three is a very close second. Ten, like I said, he's my first Doctor and energetic, and Four because he's just so larger than life and fun, but he can also be very serious and I love his scarf. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **I have considered different things that could just cause a rift between the Doctor and Hatter, and you're right, if there was one Doctor that would cause such a rift to happen during their marriage, it would be the Twelfth. I will say that the Hatter's personality could alter, not even I know how she might be once we get to Twelve, but there will be a lot of things that the Doctor will do that she won't agree with. I will say that she won't leave, but I suppose that does depend on just how far he takes things in the future. This is all so far in the future right now, so I sadly can't even know for certain what will happen. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **Let's just say that the child will be growing up as the story progresses, but I can't say anything more than that. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **The Hatter's reaction to Missy just wanting to get her friends back will be probably a cross between disbelief, anger, pity, but that's just at this point. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **I have actually thought about how the Hatter might have been different if she had been like her mother had always wanted her to be, what it would have been like for her to meet the Doctor. It's a very interesting idea, I imagine her to be a very serious and stern woman, quite different from the Hatter that we know. And she and the Doctor wouldn't have got along at all, I can see the Doctor finding it amusing to try and get a rise out of her but she would be quite boring to him, smart but boring. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **I may, possibly in the future do a AU about the Hatter being involved in Children of Earth, but at this point it's unlikely to happen, I'm afraid. I don't have the time and things would be quite different from the show, for instance, the Doctor and the Hatter would have found a different way to get rid of the aliens then to use a child. That would never have been an option. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **The hardest episode that I have found to write so far is probably been this episode. Some episodes are easy and I can just instantly start writing it without trouble, but with this episode I found it really hard to get motivated to actually sit down and write. It's kind of hard to pick just one, since it's more like sections of an episode that are hard. I always find double episodes harder than just one, mainly because I end up getting bored and wanting to move onto the next episode. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **It's funny, I was thinking about how a younger version of the Hatter would react to meeting River, and I had read about how River has meet passed versions of the Doctor. I think it would be an interesting idea to toy with, I can just imagine the Third Hatter finding the whole thing a little annoying. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (12):**_ _ **I've got a story idea in my head and had it for a while now about the Hatter meeting the TV version of the Doctor. I've always seen it as being the Fourth Doctor with the Third Hatter, for some reason, I just have never got around to writing it. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (13):**_ _ **The Time Lords interfering in the Hatter's future regeneration is an interesting idea, but who's to say that she hasn't already had a regeneration that was meddled with in the past? Not saying anything more. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (14):**_ _ **Well, the Hatter would have been there during Remembrance of The Daleks, but by the time that we reach that episode, the Hatter has already been travelling with the Doctor and gotten to know his latest regeneration, but I think that this episode would probably be one of the first times that she starts to get a real sense that there's a lot more about him then appears of his unassuming surface. You're right, she wouldn't have agreed with his plan to destroy the Dalek's and it would be a great warning sign to her that this version of him is far more dangerous then she had thought, capable of more than she would like to think. It would have been a very unsettling thing for her to learn about him and made her a lot more careful around him in the future dealings with that version of him. But they would still be friends, just the Hatter would be far more aware of everything he did and to second guess exactly what he was doing or saying, rather than to just simply trust him entirely. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (15):**_ _ **It's an interesting idea to have the War Doctor try to save the Hatter and be the one to send her to Earth, but that wouldn't explain how she came to regenerate. I can see him doing it, but for this story and what I already have planned for the fiftieth special, I'm afraid it wouldn't work but I'm very grateful for the suggestion. It's very clever. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (16):**_ _ **I'm not entirely sure what you mean, do you mean the Doctor and the Hatter, in character, talking about the story arcs that they have faced together? Or do you mean more like a sort of Confidential with the actors talking together in a sort of interview style thing? Sorry, I just want to try and be clear about what you're asking.**_


	14. Chapter 14 The Almost People, Part 1

_**The Almost People, Part 1**_

The Hatter hated this, it almost physically pained her to watch as the Ganger Doctor cried out in pain, clutching at his head as his body twisted and jolted, half bent over. He was fully formed now, now looking like an exact copy of the original Doctor that stood beside the Time Lady, which possibly made having see the Ganger in so much pain all the more worse and harder to deal with.

"Argh!" the Ganger shouted, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as his hands clutched on to the side of his face, "What's happening?" the Hatter swallowed, feeling ill watching him suffer as she reached out to him again. He suddenly grabbed her arms, making her gasp, startled, his eyes wide and unfocused as he stared into her face, "I wonder if we'll get back," he said breathlessly, but she knew that he wasn't really talking to her, in fact, she doubted if he even knew that it was her right now, "Yes, one day…argh!" he suddenly cried out again and jolted back from her violently, making the others behind them jump in alarm, "I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow…!"

"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," the Doctor told his Ganger, watching him worriedly, "Hold on!"

"It's going to be okay," the Hatter tried to reassure the Ganger, forcing a strained, comforting smile onto her face. It was horrible, having to stand by and watch without being able to do anything, to take the pain away, "It will be over soon, you just have to let it happen. Don't fight it".

The Ganger panted for breath, doubled over with pain before he suddenly jerked his arm back out towards them with his palm open, "Would you like a jelly baby?" he said in his Fourth incarnations deep voice. He winced, his face scrunched up with pain as his arm dropped back to his side, "Why?" he gasped out, dropping his past voice, "Why? Why?"

The Doctor glanced hurriedly to the Hatter, but she could only shake her head, not knowing what to do or how to try and help him, "Why, why what?" he said quickly to his Ganger.

He suddenly straightened, looking back to them with a cheeky grin on his face, one that looked similar to the Tenth Doctor's, "Hello," he spoke with the Tenth Doctor's voice, "I'm the Doctor…" he broke off with another pained wince, groaning as he stumbled back slightly, "No, let it go, we've moved on!" he shouted, dropping his last bodies personality.

The Hatter hurried forward, grabbing him by his shoulders, not thinking twice about whether or not it was truly safe to do so when he was so unstable. He was the Doctor; he would never hurt her, not on purpose, "Sweetheart, you have to hold on," she urged him, placing a hand onto his warm cheek, bringing his head down so that his forehead was touching hers. She hoped that the gesture would be comforting, reassuring to him, and while he still remained tense, she did note that he almost instantly stilled at the contact, "You just need to hold on," she continued gently, "You can stabilise, you just have to find something to latch on to, a thought or memory, something strong enough to pull you all the way through. You can do it, sweetheart".

Amy began to move towards them, but Jimmy grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

The Ganger groaned again and jerked away from the Time Lady, stumbling back from her. She let him go, having been prepared for another attack to hit him. He suddenly latched onto the Doctor, desperately grabbing onto his lapels as he looked up at his face, his eyes wide and unfocused again, "I've reversed the jelly baby of the neutron flow," he told him breathlessly, his entire body moving clumsily as he tightened his grip on his lapels, "Would you like a…Doctor…" he looked away from him, his eyes growing distant as his voice grew soft, "Doctor…I'm…I'm the…I can't…" his voice trailed off as his legs seemed to give way beneath him, half collapsing onto the floor.

The Doctor grabbed him, trying to hold him up, "No, listen, hold on," he gave him a little shake, "Hold on!"

"No!" the Ganger shouted at him, shoving the Doctor away from him. The Doctor managed to right himself and spun back around in time to see the Ganger lift his head, his face half-formed as he gave a loud yell of pain, "Argh!"

The Hatter didn't blink as she immediately threw her arms around the Ganger as he continued to cry out, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she began to rub soothing circles on his back. Her hat toppled off her head in the process, but she didn't care, her entire focus on the Ganger in her arms, "Hush, now," she said gently as his cries died and he was left half whimpering into her shoulder, clutching onto her as if she was his life line, "I've got you, everything is going to be okay. Just hold on".

With the Doctor's Ganger's cries gone, the sound of the Ganger's banging on the barricaded door from the outside sounded clearly throughout the chamber. The crew and Amy quickly got back to work reinforcing the barricade, trying to make it more stable. The Doctor slowly approached the Ganger and the Time Lady, his eyes flying carefully back and forth between the two, ready to grab the Hatter if the Ganger became violent again, but he actually seemed much calmer now. His whimpers of pain had stopped and his hold on the Hatter seemed to have lessened, though the Doctor did note with a small amount of amusement and a twinge of jealously that he hadn't let her go yet. How silly of him to actually feel jealous of himself, it reminded him of the times he would see his past regenerations get to be close to the Hatter in the rare instances that they would cross paths with past or future versions of themselves.

The crew all stood back, staring at the barricaded door as the room fell silent.

"I think I liked it best when they were being noisy," Buzzer remarked, glancing back to Amy with a wary expression on his face.

Amy hummed in agreement, casting the door a quick, slightly nervous look, before turning and jogging back over to the Time Lords to see the Doctor watching as the Hatter and the Ganger finally pulled apart, the Time Lady giving the Ganger a bright smile that he returned, "Doctor, Hatter!" she called to them, frowning slightly, "We need you. Get over here".

"Hello!" the Ganger said brightly, looking up to her. He gave the Hatter another smile as she lightly pattered his arm and moved to stand by the Doctor's side.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Amy called again, raising her voice slightly when neither Time Lord moved, ignoring the Ganger.

The Doctor eyed his Ganger, "Cybermates".

"Do we have time for this?" the Ganger asked.

"We make time," he replied, his expression growing stern, "I'd like more proof that you're me if you're going to be around my wife and unborn child".

"He's you, sweetheart," the Hatter assured him, placing a hand on the Doctor's arm as she looked back to the Ganger.

"All the same, dear," he went on, not taking his eyes off the Ganger, "I have to make sure. Now, Cybermats?"

The Ganger nodded, not seeming to be the slightest bit surprised or fazed, "Created by the Cybermen," he answered, "They kill by feeding off brainwaves".

Amy rolled her eyes in annoyance and hurried back over to the crew as they remained around the door, "Are you sure there aren't any weapons they can get to?" she asked them, looking concerned, "Like big guns with bits on?"

"Yeah, big guns would be good right now," Buzzer agreed, throwing a quick look back to the door.

"Oh, honestly," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head as she looked back to the humans with a disapproving expression, "When will people learn that guns only ever make a situation worse?"

Jimmy frowned slightly at Amy, his back still pressed against the door in case the Ganger's came back and tried to get in, "Why would we have guns?" he said to her, "We're a factory. We mine…"

A soft hissing noise sounded through the room and they all turned to look in alarm as smoke began to rise from the surface of door, a sizzling noise following the smoke as Jimmy and Cleaves backed away from it.

"Acid…" Amy finished, her eyes wide as she stared at the slowly dissolving door as the smoke began to grow denser. A loud clang sounded from the other side of the door, announcing that the Ganger's had returned and were back at trying to break in.

The two Doctor's stood on either side of the Hatter, watching as the crew eyed the door and slowly raised tools in their hands for makeshift weapons.

"Rory and Amy, they may not trust both of us," the Doctor commented to his Ganger, glancing back over to Amy, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard by the others.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the Ganger asked him, glancing back to him.

"Inevitably".

"I'm glad we're on the same…"

"Wavelength," the Doctor finished, smiling as he lightly nudged the Hatter beside him, "You see, great minds," he tapped his temple.

"Exactly".

The Hatter sighed as she looked back and forth between the two Doctors, but there was a small, fond smile on her face, "It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?" she remarked, shaking her head. Thank goodness neither Jack nor River was with them right now, she could only imagine just what things they might come out with.

The Doctor grinned, leaning over to place a light kiss on her cheek, "She's secretly enjoying herself," he said to his Ganger.

"Yes, she's very good at that," the Ganger nodded, flashing the Time Lady a grin as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest, " _She's_ standing right here, Doctors," she reminded them pointedly, though, much to her annoyance, even she had to admit that they were right and the small smile that she was struggling to suppress only proved that.

The Doctor's grin widened and he playfully flicked her nose, making her face scrunch up, "And you're doing it again, dear".

She battered his hand away, sending him a mock glare, "This just isn't fair," she moaned, shaking her head as she looked between them, "I've got the two of you to gang up on me and I have no one to back me up. Why can't I have a Ganger?"

"Because, my dearest, Hatter," the Ganger began very seriously, the edge of his mouth twitching, "The Universe wouldn't be able to handle two versions of the same Hatter being in one room. It would implode".

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowed, "Nice save".

"Yes, I was rather pleased with it myself," he agreed, high fiving with the Doctor over the Hatter's head. The Time Lady laughed, shaking her head at them, finding it actually quite amusing to see the two of them together. It was almost like watching a couple of identical twins that could finish each other's sentences and almost seemed to be able to read each other's minds. The Ganger clapped his hands, rubbing them together as he raised his eyebrows at the Hatter and the Doctor, "So, what's the plan?" he asked.

"Save them all, humans and Gangers," the Doctor told him, shrugging as if it ought to be obvious.

"Tall order. Sounds wonderful".

"Yes, indeed," the Hatter nodded, frowning thoughtfully, "It will be rather tricky, I fear, but with the three of us I'm sure we can accomplish it".

The Doctor glanced back to his Ganger, "Is that what you were thinking?'

"Yes," the Ganger looked back to him, breaking into a smile, "It's just so inspiring to hear me say it".

"I know!"

The Hatter rolled her eyes, reaching up to lightly hit both of their arms. They both jumped and slapped their hands over the spot, looking back to her with wide, confused eyes, "Would you two narcissists stop stroking your own egos for five minutes?" she said with a stern look, "It's giving me a headache".

"Sorry, dear," the Doctor and his Ganger muttered, both looking slightly embarrassed.

"Doctor!" Amy called loudly over to them from the door, sounding very annoyed now, "Hatter, come on!"

The Ganger broke into a smile, glancing at the Doctor, "So, what now, Doctor?"

"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor," he replied cheerfully, the two of them looking like excited children.

The Hatter ran a hand down her face, "You two really love the sound of your own voices," she said to herself, feeling that it was going to be a very long day with those two finishing each other's sentence and patting themselves on the back every five minutes. If one Doctor was bad enough, two was going to be near impossible for her to keep in check, but she was certainly going to make sure that they knew who was boss. She raised her eyebrows at them, "Shall we, gentlemen?" she offered them both her hands.

They grinned and took her hands, happily walking forward, catching Amy's attention, "Hello!" they both said at the same time, their smiles still in place, "Sorry…"

Amy's eyes drifted down to their shoes, noticing that one of the Doctors was wearing a pair of brown boots rather than black, like the other one was wearing.

"But we had to establish a few…" the Ganger continued in the same bright tone of voice.

"Ground rules," the Doctor finished, smiling widely at Amy, "Formulate a…"

"Protocol".

"Protocol?" he said thoughtfully, before nodded approvingly at his Ganger, "Very posh".

"A protocol between us. Otherwise…"

"It gets horribly embarrassing," the Doctor cast the Hatter a quick glance, "Not to mention the certain limitations…"

The Ganger followed his gaze and shifted a little awkwardly as the Hatter raised her eyebrows at the two of them, having a pretty good idea just what they were getting at. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it, either, "Yes, the limitations," he said carefully, his eyes still on the Time Lady, "Very important, that one".

The Doctor looked quite pleased with himself as he turned back to Amy, "And potentially confusing," he finished.

Amy stared back and forth between the two Doctors, frowning deeply, "Well, I'm glad you've solved the problem of confusing," she rolled her eyes.

"Blimey," the Hatter shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling a dull ache start to settle somewhere behind her left eye, "It's definitely going to be a _long_ day".

The Ganger frowned slightly and pointed at Amy, "That's sarcasm," he commented.

The Doctor nodded, glancing at him, "She's very good at sarcasm," he agreed, pausing as he shot the Hatter a sidelong look, "Almost as good at the Third Hatter".

The Doctor and the Ganger suddenly turned back to Amy, their expressions stern, "Breathe!" they told her in unison.

"What?" Amy jerked back from them, startled, completely confused.

"Okay, then," the Hatter clapped her hands together and stepped forward, comfortingly patting Amy's shoulder as she did so, "I think that it's very clear that we all need to get off of this island, the Ganger's included, I might add," she flashed the Ganger Doctor a pointed smile, who returned it, "And as quickly as possible," she went on, sighing heavily, "I, for one, would very much like to sit down and have a lovely cup of tea".

"Sorry," Cleaves called over to them from the door, a note of sarcasm in her voice, "Would you like a memo from the last meeting? They are trying to _kill_ us!"

"They're scared," the Doctor said sharply.

Amy frowned at the Time Lords and Ganger, "Doctor, Hatter, we're trapped in here," she reminded them, sounding frustrated.

"Ah!" the Hatter clicked her fingers before pointing at Amy, "But are we?" she broke into a broad smile, "Because I have a sneaky suspicion that we're not because check out these cabling…" she pointed up to the roof where a thick bit of cabling was running up into the roof, "That's from the Flesh Bowl".

"But where are the earthing conduits?" the Ganger Doctor questioned, holding up a finger.

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, looking around the room, "All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something, yes?" he walked over to where the rest of the crew was still watching the door, by the back wall, "With us?" he glanced at the humans, before focusing back on his search. He paused as he noticed a panel leaning up against the wall, moving it aside to reveal a metal grate in the wall, "Yowza!" he cheered, grinning, "An escape route".

Amy and the Hatter looked at each other, mouthing 'Yowza?' while the Time Lady struggled not to laugh. She shook her head, moving to join the Doctor.

"You know," he began, looking back over to his Ganger, "I'm starting to get a sense of how impressive it is to hang out with me".

"Watch the ego, sweetheart!" the Hatter warned, lightly hitting his arm with a stern look. It was hard enough to keep his ego in check on an ordinary day, let alone when he got a chance to show off in front of himself.

"Yes, dear," he smiled slightly, though he didn't seem to be overly apologetic, not really.

The Ganger frowned slightly, holding up a questioning finger, "Do we tend to say 'Yowza?" he asked curiously.

"That's enough, let it go, okay?" he told him, looking properly embarrassed now, "We're under stress".

The Hatter sighed tiredly and gave the Doctor a sharp look, one that he knew very well meant business unless he got back to the matter at hand. He cleared his throat and whipped his sonic screwdriver from his blazer pocket, flashing it at the grating and pulling it off. Amy and the crew quickly began to shuffle through the shaft, the Ganger and the Hatter following right behind them while the Doctor brought up the rear with Cleaves. There was a loud clatter from back in the room, just as the Doctor finished fitting the grate back into place and flashing his sonic at it, locking it into place. Ganger Cleaves suddenly appeared on the other side of the grating, glaring back at them through the metal as she lifted the visor of her acid suit. The Doctor and Cleaves turned and began to crawl off after the others, leaving the Ganger hissing furiously after them.

…

The Doctor, his Ganger, the Hatter, Amy, and the rest of the originals began to make their way down a corridor, trying to get as far away from the Ganger's that they possibly could after their near escape back in the Flesh room. They had crawled through the wall shaft for a good ten minutes before deeming that they had put enough distance between them to be safe enough to move around in the corridors, but that still didn't mean that they were completely out of danger. After all, there was still the acid leaks that they had to watch out for.

"The army will send a recon team out," Buzzer remarked as they walked.

"We need to find a way to contact the mainland," Cleaves glanced back to him.

"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy asked worriedly, looking to the Doctor and the Hatter, who were walking hand-in-hand, "They are both out there".

"No, this place is a maze," the Doctor shook his head, waving his torch around as they paused in the middle of the hallway, "Takes a long time to find someone in a maze".

The Hatter looked thoughtfully over to Cleaves, "You must surely have an electronic map of this place?" she said to her. She hated the thought of Rory and Jennifer being out there somewhere.

"If we can get power running, we can scan for them," Cleaves nodded, glancing back over to Amy, "Be a lot quicker".

A fine mist began to fill the corridor and everyone started coughing. The Hatter scrunched up her face, feeling her eyes sting as the back of her throat tickled horribly, making her cough uncontrollably. She reached out to grab the nearest wall, gripping tightly onto the rough stone surface to keep herself upright as her other hand clutched at her throat.

"Doctor, you said earlier to breathe…" Amy began, breaking off with a cough.

"Very important, Pond," the Doctor nodded, his voice strained as he reached over to pat the Hatter's back, seeing that she was finding it harder to catch her breath then he was, "Breathe".

"Yeah, well, I'm struggling to," she chocked out.

"It's the…acid," the Hatter managed to get out through coughs, her voice sounding strangled as she continued to grab at her throat. She could already feel herself starting to grow weaker, her pregnancy making her far more vulnerable to the mist surrounding them, "It's…reacting with the…stone walls".

"Creating an asphyxiate miasma," the Ganger Doctor added from slightly further back of the group, grabbing at his own throat as he leaned against one of the walls.

Cleaves coughed harshly, "A what?" she looked back over to him, her eyes watering.

"Chocking gas!" he gasped out, "Extra heavy".

"We need to get above it," the Hatter coughed, feeling her legs growing weaker as she leant heavily against the wall, her eyes shut tightly against the force of her coughs, "And quickly!"

"The evac tower!" Cleaves called, "This way!" she hurried off down the corridor.

They all hurried after her, still coughing and spluttering as they moved through the gas that seemed to be growing thicker. Both the Doctor and his Ganger were on either side of the Hatter, half supporting her as her coughing made it incredibly hard for her to move by herself. Cleaves lead them through the winding corridor and up a narrow stone staircase to where a large oval room was located at the top of the tower. The Doctor and the Hatter entered the room first, quickly followed by a half-chocking Amy as the rest of the group hurried in after them, heading straight over to where a set of control panels was on the side of the room.

"Oh!" Amy suddenly gasped painfully, doubling over as she grabbed at her stomach. The Doctor and the Hatter, who was feeling a great deal better, both looked at her worriedly.

"Amy?" the Hatter asked in a horse voice, concerned as she moved to the girl's side.

She shook her head, grimacing painfully, "I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something," she told them, her voice sounding forced as she waved her hand at the Time Lords, "It's okay, it's better. It's easing off".

The Time Lady continued to eye her, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor beside her before they made their way over to the control panel, the Ganger ducking behind it as they set to work trying to get the system back up and running. Somewhere in the distance, a loud bell began ringing.

"It's midnight," Jimmy commented, looking up at the ceiling, "It's Adam's birthday," he broke into a broad smile, looking over to Amy and the Hatter, who had paused to listen, "My son's five. Happy birthday, bud," he shook his head fondly; "He'll be so excited. Out of bed at the crack of dawn," he laughed as the Hatter smiled softly, "It's funny, he's got this wee dance he does when he gets over-excited".

"How sweet," the Time Lady said, still smiling softly as she moved to lightly touch his arm, "Five years old, such a magical age were anything is possible and the world is still just so brand new and ready to be explored," she gave him a reassuring look, glancing back to the Doctor and his Ganger, "Don't worry, you'll see your little boy soon, we'll make sure of that".

The Hatter gave Jimmy one last smile before moving to join the Doctor and his Ganger as they both set to work fiddling with wires and cables at the back of the control panel. Cleaves watched them work, one hand resting on her hip, her expression looking quite skeptical , "Can you really get the power back?" she asked, eyeing them as the Hatter began fiddling with the controls at the front of the panels.

"Oh, there's always some power floating around," the Doctor remarked, popping up on the right side of the controls as the Ganger dropped back down behind the panel on the left side.

"Like bits of lent," the Ganger agreed from behind the panel.

Amy frowned slightly as she watched the two Doctors, standing just slightly behind the Hatter while the Time Lady continued to fiddle with the controls, "Can you stop finishing each other's…" she began.

"Sentences?" the Doctor finished, glancing back over to his Ganger as he popped back up, "No probs".

"Yes," the Ganger nodded, before they both disappeared back out of sight again.

The Hatter smiled fondly, shaking her head, "It's probably is for the best I don't have a Ganger running about," she said to Amy, "If you think these two are bad, two of me running about would be even worse with a double dose of pregnancy hormones. Now _that_ sounds like a nightmare".

Amy laughed slightly, picturing two very pregnant Hatters. They would probably end up all tearful with one another before accidently snapping at one of the Doctors when they tried to console them or mentioned anything about it just being pregnancy hormones. She had already witnessed that first hand on several occasions now and it wasn't a very pleasant sight. She turned back to the control panel; only to frown again as a thought occurred to her.

"No, hang on," she started worriedly, turning her attention onto the Doctor, or at least the version that she believed to be the Doctor, "You said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be concerned," the Time Lady waved her off, not taking her eyes off a set of small numbered buttons on the control panel.

The Doctor popped back up, smiling as he pointed at the brunet, "Like the Hatter said, she's a tough old thing," he paused, holding up a finger, "Tough, old, sexy".

The Ganger appeared again, also holding up a finger, "Tough, _dependable_ , sexy," he added with a grin, before turning his smile on the Hatter, "Just like someone else I know".

The Hatter laughed, "Why, thank you, sweetheart," she said cheerfully, playfully tipping her hat to him. He gave her a thumbs up and dropped back down behind the panel, leaving the Doctor pouting slightly. She glanced over to him, raising her eyebrows, "Problem, Doctor?"

"He's…he's…" the Doctor waved his hand around, looking quite put out, "He's flirting with you".

"Yes, I do believe he is," she agreed, not even pretending to be bothered by it as a smile crossed her face, "You know, perhaps having two husbands might just have its perks".

"Hatter!" he gasped, looking mock outraged.

She laughed again, shaking her head fondly, "You are just simply too easy to tease, sweetheart".

"So does that mean…"

"That means you should stop fussing and get back to work, Doctor," she cut in sternly, though she was still smiling.

He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before nodding, "Right," he muttered, shifting awkwardly, "I'll just…get back to work," he said it as if it had been his idea all along, dropping back out of sight.

The Hatter glanced at Amy, who was looking at her strangely, "He's just too easy to get all flustered," she commented quietly to her, "I do so enjoy it".

"Was that the Ganger or the Doctor?" Amy asked, frowning slightly.

She shrugged casually, pretending not to know the answer; after all, not even a Ganger could fool her when it came to the Doctor, "Does it matter?"

"Oh, come on," she shook her head, glancing over to the Ganger as he popped back up, placing a piece of equipment on top of the control panel as he fiddled with it, "How can…how can you _both_ be real?" she questioned him.

"Well, because…" the Ganger looked back up to her, smiling, "We are. I'm the Doctor," he disappeared back out of sight with the equipment.

"Yeah, and so am I!" the Doctor called as he popped back up, holding his hand up, "We both contain the knowledge of over nine hundred years of memory and experience. We both wear the same bowtie, which is cool," he gave Amy a pointed look as he adjusted said bowtie; ignoring the small grimace Amy gave him.

The Ganger popped back up again, "Because bowties are…" he began, disappearing once more.

He nodded, pointing over to him, "And always will be," he finished brightly, dropping back out of sight.

"Blimey," the Hatter laughed, shaking her head, "Bowties have never been more promoted before".

"But how did the Flesh read you?" Amy asked, frowning over to where the Doctor has popped back up again, "Because you weren't linked up to it".

"I imagine it occurred when he was examining the Flesh," the Time Lady said thoughtfully, glancing at the Doctor, recalling how he had said that it felt as if the Flesh had reached out and scanned him, "That's the only way that I can think that it could have happened. The second time he examined it, the Flesh must have had a chance to get a proper reading".

The Doctor nodded along with her, "Thus, a new, genuine Doctor was created," he finished.

The Ganger popped back up again, holding his hands out and wiggling his fingers, "Ta-da!" he grinned.

Amy narrowed her eyes slightly, looking back and forth between them, "No getting away from it," she said firmly, "One of you was here first".

The Doctor glanced at his Ganger, before turning back to Amy, "Well, okay," he said, catching her attention, "After the Flesh scanned me, I had an accident with a puddle of acid. Now, new shoes," he took a deep breath, "A situation which did not confront me learned self here," he smiled slightly and disappeared back down behind the controls.

Amy looked over to the Ganger, who broke into a wide smile and raised his eyebrows, "That satisfy you, Pond?" he said.

"Don't call me Pond, please," she told him stiffly, making the smile slip completely off his face as the Doctor popped back up to look at her.

"Amy," the Hatter said in a scolding tone, frowning at her.

She blinked, looking at the three frowns being directed towards her, "What?"

"Interesting," the Ganger remarked thoughtfully, pointing at her, "You definitely feel more affection for him than me".

"Yes," the Time Lady nodded, still eyeing Amy with a frown, "That reaction was very telling".

"No," Amy shook her head, shifting slightly awkwardly, "No, I…look," she sighed, looking back to the Ganger, "You're fine and everything, but _he's_ the Doctor. No offence. Being almost the Doctor is pretty damn impressive".

The Ganger stared at her, hurt crossing his face, "Well, being almost the Doctor's like being no Doctor at all," he frowned.

"Don't overreact…" she began, glancing hurriedly over to the Doctor and the Hatter.

"You might as well call me…Smith".

"Smith?"

"John Smith".

The controls suddenly started whirling and lights powered up on the controls, just as the Doctor jumped up with his hands held up in the air, "Yes!" he cheered, grinning, acting as if nothing had just happened, "Communication a go-go!"

"Perfect timing, Doctor," the Hatter said, throwing Amy and the Ganger a quick look, before turning her attention back to the panel in front of her as everyone gathered around the controls, Cleaves setting to work firing up the machinery.

"Find Rory!" Amy said urgently to Cleaves, leaning over the woman's shoulder as she worked, "Show me the scanning tracking screen," Cleaves brought up a set of maps of the entire monastery, the computer quickly scanning through different sections of the building in search of Rory and Jennifer, "Come on, Rory, let's be having you".

Cleaves frowned, shaking her head as the computer continued to search, "There's no sign of him anywhere".

"Come on," Amy urged, watching the screen intently, "Come on, baby, show yourself".

"There's no sign of him," she said after a moment with no success, ending the search as she glanced quickly back to Amy's worried face, "I need to contact the mainland".

The Hatter put a hand on Amy's arm as she went to try and argue, "We'll find him," she said comfortingly, "I promise, Amy".

She swallowed, hard, but nodded reluctantly, perhaps realising that there would be little use trying to argue.

Cleaves brought up a radio transmission, hoping desperately that they would be able to get to the mainland as she leaned closer to the screen, "Saint John's calling," she called over the radio, "Emergency Alpha. Saint John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, Captain? Come in," she sighed, shaking her head when there was no response, quickly typing something into the controls, "We'll never get a signal through this storm".

"Let me try something," the Time Lady said thoughtfully as the screen glitched. She leaned over Cleaves, pressing a button and entering a quick number sequence, "Try now," she told her, leaning back slightly to give her room, looking hopefully back to the screen.

"Saint John's calling the mainland," Cleaves tried again, "Come in, this is urgent".

There was a tense moment before…

"We're just about reading you, Saint John's," a male voice came over the radio, making everyone sigh in relief, "How are you doing? We've had all kind of trouble here".

"Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our Gangers. They're running amok".

"Your Gangers?" the man asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, our Gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out".

The Doctors and the Hatter looked at each other in alarm, frowning deeply as they cast Cleaves a sharp look.

"Copy that, Saint John's," the man replied, "Shuttle's despatched. Hang on".

"You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac tower," Cleaves informed him as the Ganger turned and began to walk away from the controls, "And Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following codeword," she started typing something into the controls, "I'm typing it, in case they're listening in".

"Got it. We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh".

Cleaves broke into a wide smile and ended the transmission. She turned to her crew, "We need to prepare," she told them, moving away from the control panel as her crew quickly set to work gathering things together.

The Doctor moved to take a seat on a swivel chair at the controls, the Hatter sitting down on another swivel chair beside him, the two of them setting to work fiddling with the controls, though, every now and again, the Hatter would cast the Ganger Doctor a slightly concerned look as he stood at the back of the room, watching everything with a frown. Amy took a seat on a chair on the other side of the Doctor.

"We've got to get out of here," Buzzer remarked, looking around at the rest of the crew, looking determined, "We are, we're going to get out".

Amy looked back over to them, frowning deeply, "We're not leaving without them," she said firmly.

"I want 'em found too, but it's about casualties, innit?" he said to her, shrugging, "Can't be helped".

Amy sighed and turned back to look at what the Doctor and the Hatter were doing, finding them both busy typing away. She wheeled her chair closer to the controls, "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," the Hatter didn't look up from her work, "Just making a little phone call".

"Who to?"

"No one yet," the Doctor replied, flicking a switch, "It's on delay".

"Right, not getting it," she shook her head, looking confused, "Why exactly are you making a phone call?"

"Because, Amy, the Hatter and I are and always will be optimists," the Doctor said cheerfully, spinning his chair around as he spoke, making Amy wheel her chair back slightly with a small smile crossing her face. The Hatter gave him a fond look, before quickly casting the Ganger a glance, giving him a little wink that made him a smile very slightly before returning her attention back to Amy and the Doctor, "The hopers of far-flung hopes and the dreamers of improbable dreams," he continued, grabbing the edge of Amy's chair and spinning it around on her, making Amy sequel slightly. He spun back around to face the controls, "The wheels are in motion".

The Hatter hit one last button and clapped her hands together, "And…there we are," she grinned, looking back to the Doctor and Amy, "All finished".

Amy laughed and spun her chair around so that she was facing the room, crossing her arms across her chest as her eyes came to land on the Ganger Doctor across the other side of the room. She eyed him for a moment before glancing back to the Doctor, "You know, really, there can only be one," she said to him.

The Doctor leant back in his chair and looked back to her, "Hmm?"

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes flickering past him to the Hatter, who was watching her with an unreadable expression on her face, one that made her shift slightly. She fixed a smile onto her face and turned back to him, "Oh, nothing," she shook her head, "Carry on," she playfully nudged his side, "Be amazing".

"Well, that's pretty easy thing for us to do," the Hatter said with a grin in the Doctor's direction, but it didn't quite meet her eyes.

Amy looked away from them, only for her smile to slip as something caught her eye on the other side of the room. She shot a quick glance back to the Time Lords, checking to see if they had noticed yet, and slowly stood and began to make her way across the room, her eyes fixed on a corner, staring at the spot intently. The Hatter watched her go from the corner of her eye, a trouble expression on her face as she caught the Ganger's eye as Amy passed him, the two sharing a long look. Suddenly, Amy gasped and jumped back, as if startled by something, her head snapping back around to find the Time Lords looking at her before she looked back at the wall.

"Amy?" the Doctor called to her, eyeing her back, "What happened?"

"Did you see something?" the Hatter questioned, her expression once again unreadable.

Amy hurried back over to them, sitting back down, her face very pale, "It's her again," she told them, slightly breathless.

The Ganger looked over towards the wall, staring at it.

The Time Lady frowned, "Her who?" she said, her eyes narrowed, casting the spot on the wall a suspicious look.

She swallowed, leaning closer to them, "There's a woman I keep seeing," she explained to them, "A woman with an eye patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, "Doctor?" she looked between them as she noticed their shared look, "Hatter?"

"It's nothing," the Doctor shook his head, not looking at her.

"Don't let yourself dwell on it too much," the Hatter added, giving her a comforting smile.

Amy frowned, looking between them, "It doesn't seem like nothing".

"It's a time memory," the Doctor said calmly, "Like a mirage," he lightly slapped his hand on Amy's knee, "It's nothing to worry about," he glanced over to his Ganger, before spinning his chair back around and returning his attention back to the controls, his eyes flickering up to meet the Hatter's eyes. A small grimace crossed her face as she reached over to lightly touch his arm.

"It's in my head…" the Ganger Doctor muttered, catching their attention. He closed his eyes tightly, his face scrunching up in pain as he shook his head roughly. He suddenly started heading over to the door, pushing it open.

"Hey, hold on!" Jimmy called after him, moving to go after him.

"Don't let him go," Cleaves ordered, also moving to follow after him.

The Hatter rose from her chair, taking a step forward to go after the Ganger, but Amy was faster, "No, leave it to me," she told them, grabbing a light and hurrying after the Ganger, not noticing the way that the Doctor and the Time Lady exchanged a look as she left the room. She stepped outside and out into the corridor, hesitating slightly as she saw the Ganger with his back to her, facing a wall with his head slightly bent. Slowly, she approached him, coming to a stop a few steps from him, "I'm sorry," she said quietly, eyeing his back, "What I said about you being almost the Doctor, it's just…really hard, because I've been through so much with him, with both him and the Hatter. I've even seen…" she paused, swallowing hard, needing to ask, to say something. She might not be able to talk about it to them, but with the Doctor's Ganger, that was different, it gave her a loop hole that she had been searching for, "I've even seen the moment of their…" she stopped again, feeling a lump rise in her throat just thinking about it, but she needed to know. She took a deep breath, "Can you die?" she asked, watching as his head lifted but he continued to face the wall, "If you really are the same, then you can die. You can be killed…and I might have seen that happen…to both you and the…" she trailed off, unable to finish.

A long moment passed, "Why?" the Ganger breathed, still not looking at her.

"Why?" she repeated, shaking her head at how absurd it was for him to be asking her something like that, "Because you invited us to see it. Your deaths! You and the Hatter…"

He suddenly whirled on her and grabbed her by her shoulders, roughly pushing her against the wall as she yelped, startled and frightened as she stared back at him with wide eyes, "Why?" he demanded, shoving her against the wall again.

She tried to break his grip, unable to believe that this was actually happening, that the Doctor, even as a Ganger, would be so violent with her, "You're hurting me," she gasped.

"It's all the eyes say," he continued, ignoring her, " _Why_?" he shook her roughly, making her yelp fearfully, "I can feel them as they work each day, knowing the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. 'Not again, please!' And then they are destroyed and they feel death, and all they can say is, 'why?'"

He stared at her for a long moment, hardly even seeming to see her before releasing her. She took off running as fast as she could back through the door of the tower, gasping for breath.

….

"Why?" the Doctor said thoughtfully, frowning as he glanced at the Hatter sitting beside him. She was absently rubbing her forehead with a small grimace.

Amy ran into the room, looking frightened, "Keep him away from me!" she shouted at them, breathless as she pointed back at the open doorway.

"Amy?" the Hatter blinked, concerned as she let her hand slip from her forehead, "What on Earth…"

The Ganger Doctor hurried back into the room, slamming the door behind him as he looked urgently to his original and the Time Lady. Amy backed away from him, moving closer to the Time Lords, "Did you sense it?" he asked them.

"Briefly," the Doctor nodded, eyeing him a slightly, "Not as strongly as you".

"Even I felt something," the Time Lady remarked, casting Amy another concerned look, "Though, it was more like a faint psychic echo".

The Ganger looked over to Amy, holding up his hands, "Amy, I'm sorry…" he began.

"No," Amy cut across him, taking a step back from him, pointing at him, "You keep away. We can't trust you".

He clasped his hands together and looked around to the others, "It would appear I can connect to the Flesh," he informed them as the Hatter frowned deeply, eyeing Amy curiously.

"Well, you _are_ Flesh," she snapped, glaring at him.

"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through," he continued, starting to pace, "What it needs".

"What _you_ want. You _are_ it".

"It's much more powerful than we thought. The Flesh can grow, correct?" he turned to Cleaves.

Cleaves watched him carefully, "It's cells can divide," she replied.

He walked closer to her, looking very serious, "Well, now it wants to do that at will," he told her, "It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge".

"I was right," Amy glared at him again, shaking her head, "You're _not_ the Doctor. You can't ever be. You're just a copy".

"How can you possibly be so certain, Amy?" the Hatter said suddenly, frowning at her as Amy blinked in surprise, certainly not having expected the Hatter to be so blind about this, "We understand revenge and rage better then perhaps anyone else," she went on, not taking her eyes off her, "We're Time Lords, our fury is practically legendary and the Doctor and I are most certainly not above succumbing to our own fury or darkness," she laughed bitterly, shaking her head, "I've wanted revenge, I've wanted others to suffer because of what they had done. There was once a time when I would have laughed in sheer joy at the prospect of destroying every single Dalek in the Universe, but that's the thing," she stood and took a step closer to Amy, who was staring at her in shock. A sad smile crossed her face, "It's not about how much darkness or anger a person might be capable of, but how that person handles those temptations and believe me, the darkness can be tempting," she sighed, shaking her head, "We all have dark sides, the Doctor and I perhaps even more so, so don't be so quick to paint us in a perfect light because when it comes to the Flesh, it has nothing on the Doctor and I".

Amy took a small step back from her, her eyes wide as she stared back at her in shock, unable to quite believe just what she had heard. It was so easy to simply see the Doctor and the Hatter as two loveable idiots that went around flirting with each other and saving the Universe, it made it easier to ignore the rare moments when that anger or darkness that the Time Lady had spoken would appear. She supposed it made her naïve, but she knew what she had seen in the Ganger's eyes. There had been no warmth that she was used to seeing from the Doctor, just coldness and a deep pit of anger. He wasn't the Doctor, regardless of what the Hatter might have tried to tell her, the Doctor would never have laid a finger on her. This was the Flesh.

Cleaves took a deep breath, pulling her eyes off the Hatter to rest on the Ganger Doctor, "Regardless, Hatter, of your testimony for his defence," she said calmly, her expression wary, not taking her eyes off of him as she spoke, "Doctor, it might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?" she nodded over to the other side of the room.

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor cut in, frowning at her, "Hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. _I'm_ him…" he pointed to the Ganger, "He's _me_ ".

Buzzer stepped forward, eyeing the Time Lords, looking as if he was prepared to fight if he had to.

"Doctor," Cleaves glanced back to him, "We have no issue with you, but when it comes to your _Ganger_ …"

"Oh, honestly," the Hatter said, annoyed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Don't be absurd," the Doctor told her, frowning.

"Buzzer," Cleaves called, her eyes fixed steadily on the Ganger.

"Sure, boss," Buzzer nodded to her, and stepped over to where an old oil drum was sitting at the back of the room. He picked it up and moved it to the middle of the room, looking back up to the Ganger Doctor, "Take a seat, mate".

The Ganger straightened his bowtie and casually strolled over to the barrel, making a bit of a show of sitting down, "Nice barrel, very comfy," he commented, "Why not?" he shrugged, looking back across to Cleaves and Amy, "Is this really what you want?"

Amy lifted her chin and crossed her arms across her chest, looking coldly back to the Ganger.

"This is completely ridiculous," the Hatter scoffed, looking around at all the humans. She grabbed the back of her swivel chair and pushed it over to the Ganger, happily taking a seat on the chair beside him and crossing her legs. She raised her eyebrows at the rest of the room, "If you have a problem with him, then you have a problem with me," she told them firmly.

"Hatter…" Amy began, staring at her in surprise.

"No, Amy," she cut her off, her voice sharp, "I know my husband and I would trust him regardless of whether or not he's made of the Flesh".

The Ganger Doctor smiled and reached over to take her hand, lifting it up to his mouth to place a small kiss on her knuckles before he lowered her hand back to his lap, "Thank you, dear," he said quietly.

She grinned at him, winking, "We're married, Doctor, we stick together, Flesh or not".

…

Several minutes past by in silence before the radio buzzed, "This is the shuttle," a man's voice came over, "We're right above you, but we can't get low enough," Cleaves shook her head slightly, rubbing her temple as if it pained her, "Gamma static could fry our nav-controls. Sit tight. We'll get to you. Just…"

Discreetly, the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his blazer pocket and flashed it at Cleaves, checking the results as the woman shut her eyes tightly, still massaging her temple. The Hatter watched curiously, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor when he glanced up to her. He gave her a grim look and shook his head. That didn't bode well.

"Hello?" Jimmy tried calling over the radio as static cut off whatever else the man had been trying to say, "Can you hear me?"

Amy sighed heavily from where she was looking at the monitor, hitting her open palm against the control panel in frustration, "I can't find Rory," she told them, turning around to face the room, looking determined, "I'm going out there".

"What about the sonic?" the Hatter called over to them, a thought occurring to her, "We could always use the sonic screwdriver to track Rory down".

"Hmm, good idea," the Doctor hummed in agreement, eyeing his sonic screwdriver thoughtfully, "Humans and Gangers give off slightly different signals," he looked back up, meeting the Hatter's eyes, "The sonic needs to tell the difference".

Amy crossed her arms across her chest, raising her eyebrows at him, "Oh, so the sonic knows Gangers are different," she said, almost smugly, "So the other Doctor _is_ different".

"Not this again," the Time Lady sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she pointedly raised her hand that was still interlaced with the Ganger Doctor's, "He _is_ the Doctor, Amy".

"Not to me," Amy shook her head, frowning at her, "I can tell, why can't you?"

"Believe me, I can tell," she said firmly, meeting her eyes, "The fact is that it simply doesn't matter to me if one of them is of Flesh or not. It's different for me," she sighed, looking at her almost sadly. She could see where Amy was coming from, why it must be so hard for her to accept, but for her Time Lord mind it was just so easy and simple to look at the Ganger and still see her Doctor, because he was the Doctor in every way that mattered and counted to her, "Time Lords have a different way of looking at things like this," she tried to explain, "We have to see things differently with regeneration, otherwise marriages and friendships wouldn't have lasted very long on Gallifrey".

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Amy, smirking slightly, "Sure you're not prejudiced?" he asked her with a note of playfulness in his tone.

Amy glanced at him, "Nice try, but I know, okay?" she said, looking back and forth between him and the Hatter, her expression stubborn, "We've been through too much," she looked at the Doctor, "You're my Doctor. End of".

The Hatter, even though she was feeling quite exasperated, couldn't help the small smile from crossing her face as she looked at Amy, "I have to admit, Amy," she began, catching her attention, "I admire your conviction and loyalty, but…" she sighed again, her smile fading, "Even ones conviction and loyalty can be blinding, and I'm afraid that when you travel with the Doctor and I, you need to have an open mind for every possibility until proven wrong".

She went to open her mouth to say something, when Buzzer cut across her, "Hey, there's a camera up," he announced to the room, pointing over to the computer monitor, "We've got a visual".

They all turned to look at the screen, Amy running to get a closer look as the screen cleared of static and a live video feed of a young man and woman walking down a darkened corridor appeared on the screen. She broke into a delighted smile, "That's Rory and Jennifer!" she said excitedly.

Cleaves frowned, leaning closer to the screen, "They're heading for the thermostatic room," she realised.

Amy looked eagerly back to the Doctor and Hatter, completely ignoring the Ganger Doctor sitting on the left side of the Time Lady, "Let's go get them," she grinned, but her grin faded as the Doctor flipped the sonic screwdriver in his hand before tossing it across the room to his Ganger, who easily caught it and slipped it inside his own inner breast pocket, "Hang on…" she began to frown.

"You can't let _him_ go," Cleaves stared at the Doctor, outraged, "Are you crazy?"

"Isn't that obvious by now?" the Hatter commented, amused as she gave both Doctor's a fond smile.

The Doctor smirked, winking at the Time Lady, "Am I _crazy_ , Doctor?" he turned his attention onto his Ganger.

The Ganger paused, considering it, "Well, you did want to plumb your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet against the Hatter," he reminded him, shrugging slightly as the Doctor laughed before clearing his throat.

"That was a joke on my part," the Time Lady added hurriedly, shaking her head with a sigh, "I ought to have known that you would have taken it seriously".

"I still won," the Ganger Doctor grinned at her, looking quite smug.

"Only because _I_ agreed to forfeit since I didn't want to actually see you fry your brain for a stupid bet, so technically, neither of us won".

Amy shook her head at them, "He can't go rescue them," she frowned at the Doctor, " _I'm_ going".

"Do you know, I want him to go," the Doctor told her, standing from his chair and looking at her very seriously, "And I'm rather adamant".

The Hatter stood, crossing her arms across her chest, "As am I," she agreed as the Ganger stood from the drum beside her.

"Well, then," Buzzer looked across the room to Cleaves, "He'll need company. Right, boss?" he shrugged, "It's fine. I'll handle it".

"Thank you, Buzzer," the Ganger Doctor clicked his fingers at him, looking back to Amy, who was frowning at him still, "It'll be alright. I'll find him," he began to head towards the door, before pausing and taking the Hatter's hand, pressing a light kiss to the back of it as he gave her a small smile, "Stay safe".

She smiled softly, "I think I'm in pretty good hands," she remarked, throwing a pointed look over her shoulder to the Doctor, before fixing the Ganger with a stern look, "You be careful out there, okay?"

"Always am, dear," he flashed her one last smile before turning on his heel and heading for the door, disappearing outside with Buzzer right behind him.

The Doctor turned back to Amy, "We can't explain it to you now, but we _need_ you to trust him," he told her, meeting her eyes, "Can you do that for me, Amy?"

Amy frowned at him, "And what if you're wrong?"

"It's possible," the Hatter agreed, not seeming to be overly concerned as she broke into a smile, "And I suppose that if we are, we are going to be very embarrassed and have a lot of apologies to make".

….

Cleaves frowned deeply as she eyed the monitor screen that had readings from the factory flashing across it, "These temperature gauges are rising," she commented, looking over the results, a note of alarm crossing her face, "Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents".

"Why do that?" Dicken wondered aloud, shaking his head in confusion, "They'll kill us".

"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under out feet…"

The Doctor and the Hatter moved to look over her shoulder to see the results more clearly, exchanging alarmed looks.

"And now it's heating up the whole island," the Doctor realised, his eyes widening as he grabbed the Hatter's hand, holding it tightly, "How long till it blows?"

A loud rumble suddenly shook the entire building and island, jolting them slightly.

The Hatter swallowed, looking back to the Doctor, "Not long at all, sweetheart," she breathed, her grip on his hand tightening.

"Gangers or no Gangers, we need to get the hell out of here," Dickens said urgently.

Cleaves hit a button on the controls and moved closer to the screen, "Shuttle!" she called over the radio, "We need evac. Where are you? Can you hear me?" static filled the transmission as she tried again, "Can you…" she stopped and clutched at her forehead, wincing painfully as she bent over the control panel.

"Cleaves?" the Hatter moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her back to try and offer her some support, looking at her worriedly, "Cleaves, you need to sit down," she said firmly as she and the Doctor began to guide the woman over to a nearby chair, helping her to sit down.

She tried to wave them away, still grimacing, "I'm fine," she said to them, holding up a hand as the Time Lords eyed her carefully, "I'm waiting for results, so let it go".

"It's a deep parietal clot," the Doctor informed her grimly, recalling the results that his sonic screwdriver had delivered him when he had scanned her.

"How can you possibly…" she began, her head snapping around to stare at him, startled. She paused, watching as he ducked his head, "Inoperable?"

"On Earth, yes".

"Well, seeing as Earth's all that's on…" he raised his eyebrows, "Offer…hmm," she hummed, frowning, "I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherman. Right?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"I'm sorry," the Hatter said sadly, reaching out to pat her arm.

Another loud rumble rocked the island, this time much stronger then the first one. Amy yelped as she toppled onto the floor.

"Something just cracked," she said hurriedly, alarmed as she pulled herself back onto her feet, "I heard it".

The Doctor and the Hatter dashed back to the controls, "Yes, I'm afraid that we are going to have to move," the Time Lady agreed, looking back to Amy.

"Let's go," the Doctor grabbed the brunet's hand, starting for the door.

"They're right!" Jimmy nodded, "Let's shift," he moved to follow after them.

Cleaves moved back to the radio, "Cleaves to shuttle," she called over it, "Respond. We need to move, and we can't be collected from the Evac tower".

"Give us the codeword," a male voice came over.

"The codeword is…"

Another violent rumble rocked the building, causing the console to erupt into sparks that caused Cleaves to stumble back, shielding her face from the sparks. Alarms started blaring through the room as Cleaves ran back up to the controls, trying desperately to get them to power back up.

"Cleaves?" the Doctor called, running back over to her and grabbing her arm, "Cleaves, its dead. It's dead," he told her, pulling her away, "We need to get out of here".

"We have to get those vents open downstairs," the Hatter said urgently, ushering Jimmy, Amy, and Dicken out the door, "Come on, out of here. Now!"

 _ **And I'm back, and sooner than I had expected, I'm happy to say. I got a extra day off school and decided to spend my long weekend sitting down and getting some writing down. You won't have to wait long for the next chapter, either, since I also managed to finish the next one as well. Poor Hatter having to deal with two Doctors, but she does secretly enjoy it, even if she would like them to think otherwise.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Hatter is unsettled, the truth finally comes out, and there's an emotional goodbye. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest 16:**_ _ **Thank you for getting back to me, I wasn't sure if you would and that's certainly something that I'll have to think about doing in the future. I really should start making a list of all of these future one-shots :)**_

 _ **Guest 15:**_ _ **I could, yes, but I'm afraid that it still wouldn't work for this story. Perhaps I'll do an AU of it one day, but not for a long, long time. Thank you for the suggestion, though :)**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Who would I like to see play the new Doctor? Well, after having watched him Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, I would have to say that I think that Eddie Redmayne would make a brilliant Doctor. He just gave off that Doctor vibe to me during that movie and I thought that he would be perfect for the role, but as for an older actor, probably Hugh Laurie, but I have only ever seen him in one of two things, so I really don't know for certain about him. I guess he just has the right face for the role.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Well, I have had a one-shot in my head for a while now where the Hatter meets the Ninth Doctor; I just haven't got around to writing it yet. But yes, something similar as to what you suggested is in my mind. Thanks for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in 'Hide,' not even I know exactly how I'm going to work that episode at this point. Thank you for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I finally got that update you asked for and I very much hope that you enjoyed it :)**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **Maybe in the future we'll see an AU like that, but at this point I just simply don't have the time or even the energy to work on a third story. I already feel like I'm neglecting my Sherlock story and a few other projects that I have going on. I'm sorry, I really am, and hopefully things will slow down a bit more and give me more time to start considering doing something like that. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **I have considered writing an AU story of the Hatter being involved in the Ninth Doctor's adventures; I would just be a little concerned that I know that other OC writers tend to also do the same thing. Regardless, if I was to write an AU, that would probably be the one that I would do first, but, like I said, at this point I really don't have the time. Thank you for the suggestion and the review :)**_


	15. Chapter 15 The Almost People, Part 2

_**The Almost People, Part 2**_

The Ganger Doctor hurried through the monastery, Buzzer right behind him while he used the sonic screwdriver to scan for life signs. They dashed out into a large courtyard area, looking around quickly through the mist that hung in the night air, "I'm getting something…" he muttered, frowning at the device as he led the way further into the courtyard.

"Is it human?" Buzzer asked from behind him, holding up a torch to light the ground ahead of them.

"Yeah, it's human, but it's fading," he said urgently, desperately needing to find the source, "It's fading! This is bad. Fading is very…bad…" he trailed off as they reached a corner of the yard, something catching his eye just out of sight, half hidden behind an old, crumbled wall. It was Jennifer and she was lying on the ground, her skin pale and her eyes closed. He quickly moved to scan her body, growling in frustration, "Argh! The signal's gone," he crouched down and lightly touched her forehead , "She's dead," he shook his head sadly, "She was hanging onto the edge of life and she just…just slipped away," he looked back down to her body, "Oh, Jennifer, I'm so sorry," he pressed the back of his hand against her cheek, "She's been out here for hours".

Buzzer stepped closer to the Doctor, "But if the real Jen's been lying here…" he began.

Realisation hit the Ganger and his head snapped up, his eyes widening slightly, "Rory's in trouble".

Suddenly, something heavy hit the back of his head and he instantly collapsed onto the ground by Jennifer's body, knocked out cold.

"Sorry, pal," Buzzer said as he stood above him, lowering the torch that he had just used to hit him, "It's boss's orders. Us and them, init?" he turned and walked away.

….

Cleaves was in the lead as the Doctor, the Hatter, Amy, and the rest of the crew followed after her through the twist and turns of the monastery. She turned and started to lead them down a narrow passageway, only for them to come to a stop as they caught sight of blue and even a few brown eyes staring back at them from where one of the Ganger's had stuck them onto the stone wall, watching them.

"Ah," the Doctor remarked, holding his light out towards the wall for them see better, the eyes tracking his movement, "The eyes have it".

"Blimey," the Hatter blinked, actually looking a little unsettled by the sight, "This is…new, which is saying something".

Amy frowned, "Why are they here?" she questioned, looking over to the Time Lords.

"Well," the Time Lady glanced at the Doctor, who was still eyeing the eyes as they continued to focus on him rather than the rest of the group, which made her feel quite relived. It was very unsettling to have those disembodied eyes staring back at her, "I imagine that it was one of the Gangers idea's of accusing us," she sighed, almost sadly, "Our judgment".

"Ignore them," Cleaves told them; nodding at the eyes, "It's not far," she gestured for them to continue down the passageway.

They set off again, the Doctor taking the Hatter's hand as they walked. Another rumble shook the island, causing the group to pause and grab the walls until it had passed, looking warily at each other before continuing down the passageway. They reached a door and hurried into a large chamber, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Cleaves heading straight over to a set of controls at the side of the room, trying to change the settings.

The Hatter frowned deeply, pulling a lever and glancing back up to the computer screen, only to see that it wasn't working, "Oh, this is very not good," she muttered worriedly, hitting a button, but still it was useless, "We're too late. It's a chemical reaction now".

"We can't stop it," the Doctor sighed, swallowing as he looked back to the Hatter, "This place is going to blow sky high".

Cleaves looked to the Time Lords, "Exactly how long have we got?" she asked urgently.

"Hard to say," the Time Lady said thoughtfully, anxiously tugging at her jacket zipper as she spoke, glancing back to the computer screen, "It could be an hour from now, possibly ten minutes…hell, it could even be thirty seconds from now. There's no handy stopwatch to say for certain, I'm afraid".

There was a loud crash from somewhere nearby and they all flinched as a klaxon began wailing throughout the room as lights starting flashing. The machinery started hissing as bursts of steam started firing out from the machine panels.

The Doctor grabbed the Hatter, wrapping his arm protectively around her, "Out!" he shouted at everyone.

Amy was the first to run out of the room and back down the passageway, the others right on her heels as the sound of sparks flying sounded from back in the room. They continued down the corridor, when Amy's steps faltered, catching sight of something ahead of them.

"Oh, thank God," Rory said as he caught sight of his wife, relief crossing his face, "Alright?"

"Oh, Rory!" Amy gasped, running straight to him and throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "Oh, Rory".

"Thank goodness for that," the Hatter breathed, breaking into a smile at the sight of Rory, unharmed and reunited with them again. Suddenly, it felt like an extra weight had been lifted off her shoulders, though there was still the fact that the entire island was about to blow up and that she was worried for the Ganger Doctor running about out there with Buzzer.

Rory looked back to them from over Amy's shoulder, "There's a way out," he informed them, letting Amy go, "Jennifer found it. A secret tunnel under the crypt".

"From the crypt?" Cleaves repeated, frowning at him, "It's not in the schematics".

"It runs right out of the monastery," he explained, seeming to be very sure of himself as he glanced at the Time Lords, "Maybe even under the TARDIS. Follow me," he turned and began to head off down the passageway.

The others followed after him as the Doctor and the Hatter hesitated, exchanging a small look before going after them.

….

Slowly, the Ganger Doctor began to come around, wincing as the back of his head ached painfully. For one brief moment he imagined that the Hatter was there, her smiling face looking down at him as her hand gently brushed his hair from his forehead, but then he blinked and his eyes came into focus to find that the Gangers of Cleaves, Jimmy, and Dicken where standing above him, watching him carefully. He grimaced slightly, his eyes stinging slightly from the harsh light of their torches.

"Got anything for a sore head?" he said jokingly, struggling to lift his head off the ground.

" _This_ is how they'll always treat us," Ganger Cleaves told him, her voice almost sad as she watched him wince, reaching over to grab his sonic screwdriver from the ground by his head, "Do you see now?" she raised her eyebrows, "After all, you're one of us… Doctor".

He looked up at them for a long moment, tucking the sonic away inside his blazer pocket, "Call me Smith," he said with a sigh, "John Smith".

….

They reached the Acid Room and Cleaves pushed the heavy metal door open, stepping into the room and down a set of steps, the others following behind her. At the bottom of the stairs, in the middle of the room, was a large circular vat that was filled with bubbling acid. The Doctor, the Hatter, and Cleaves headed straight over to the vat.

"We can't leave without Buzzer," Jimmy frowned as he came down the stairs, shaking his head.

Cleaves paused and looked back to him, "I'll go back for him," she replied, moving to make her way back up the stairs as the other filed into the room.

"Ah, Doctor, Hatter, look…" Rory began, still standing in the doorway, "I'd better tell you. I haven't been quite straight with you…"

They looked back up to the doorway, just in time to see Ganger Jennifer smirking as she grabbed the door and slammed it shut on them, leaving her and Rory outside in the passageway.

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted as he and the Time Lady dashed back up the stairs. Cleaves beat them to it, quickly trying to pull the door back open, but Ganger Jennifer locked it before she even got a chance, looking back to them through a small circular window.

Rory frowned, turning back to Ganger Jennifer, "Hang on, Jen," he said to her, looking confused as the Doctor and the Hatter tried to door, but not even the sonic would be of any help now, even if they still had it. It was deadlocked, "We don't need to lock them up. We should just show them what we've found," he tried opening the door.

"I don't think so," she shook her head, still smirking cruelly.

"Rory!" the Hatter called desperately, hitting the door with her open palm. Fear was starting to spread through her, fear that she was trapped inside a room that was about to be filled with acid at any minute, and that there was absolutely nothing that she could do to protect her child and everyone else. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this scared or trapped, and she felt quite certain that the only reason why she wasn't having a complete breakdown right now was because of the Doctor beside her.

"Rory Pond!" the Doctor yelled through the glass to him, practically able to feel the fear coming off the Time Lady as she began shaking, her face sickly pale. It only spurred him on. He couldn't let this happen, he _wouldn't_ let this happen to her and their child, "Roranicus Pondicus!" he furiously banged on the door.

"Rory!" Amy cried, joining them at the door, "What the hell are you playing at?"

Rory looked back to them, moving closer to the window, "They've been throwing away old Flesh and leaving it to rot, _alive_!" he told them, "I think the world should see that".

"And while I am very proud of you for wanting to make a difference," the Hatter said shakily, swallowing thickly, "There just simply isn't enough time, Rory. This entire island is about to explode," she put a hand on the glass, seeing his determined expression waver slightly, "Please, Rory, just listen to us".

He looked quickly back to Ganger Jennifer, alarmed, "Are you sure about this?" he asked her, unsettled by just how frightened the Hatter seemed to be, "Because I'm not. Let them out".

"The little girl got strong," Jennifer smiled at him, a funny glint in her eyes.

"What?"

"The little girl lost on the moors in her red wellies, looking for a way home?" she reminded him, her smile broadening, "Well, she got strong, Rory. I told you, remember?"

He frowned, confused, "But that wasn't…it was the other Jennifer that told me about being a little girl".

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows, smirking, "What other Jennifer?" her eyes flashed inhumanely blue.

"Well, the…the, er…" he stared back at her, seeming to be shocked that she was a Ganger. She grabbed his arm, "Wait, you tricked me? Let me go," he tried struggling against her grip, "I'll open the door," he managed to turn back to the door, reaching back out for it, "Let me…" she started to drag him away as he looked to Amy, "I'm sorry!"

Amy desperately pounded against the door as her husband was dragged away and out of sight, "No!" she screamed, hitting the door one last time before turning away, hugging herself as the Hatter wrapped an arm around her.

Cleaves moved closer to the door, just as her own Ganger stepped into view. She paused and stepped closer to the glass, "We have to be free," she said to her, moving to walk away.

"I'm sorry too, Miranda," Cleaves called to her, making her stop and look back to her, "Of all the humans in the world, you had to pick the one with the clot," she grinned at her, pointing up to her head, "But hey, them's the breaks. Welcome to the human race".

The Ganger eyed her for a moment, seeming to be taking in the news for a moment, before she turned and walked away.

The Doctor walked around the acid vat, examining it carefully as the Hatter remained by Amy's side, finding it slightly comforting to try to help the upset girl. It helped to let her focus on something else for the moment, "This is going to overheat and fill the room with acid," he announced to the room after a moment, trying hard not to let his own panic show, "Just as a point of interest".

"And we can't stop it?" Cleaves said, already knowing the answer.

"Just as a point of interest, no".

….

Rory had been taken back to the dining hall to where the rest of the Gangers, including the Doctor's, were gathered together. He felt betrayed and like a complete idiot for having been so easily fooled, and now, because of him, his wife was locked in a room with no way of escaping. He glared at Ganger Jennifer as she smiled faintly at him, almost as if she was amused by his outrage while the rest of the Ganger's simply watched on, "You created another Ganger just to trick me," he pointed angrily at her, leaning over the end of the table, "You _tricked_ me. When I found you, you were both Flesh and you tricked me into _trusting_ you!" he slammed his hand down on the table, breathing deeply as he paused to catch his breath, "Jen's dead, isn't she?" he demanded.

The Ganger Doctor didn't even look back to him from where he was perched on the edge of the table, his back facing Rory, "She's gone, Rory," he said firmly, " _Gone_ ".

"Shuttle," the radio called through the room, "We're dropping down on our approach. Stand by for evac…"

"The humans will be melted, as they deserve," Ganger Jennifer smiled, triumphant, "And then the factory will be destroyed. Once we get to the mainland, the real battle begins," her smile turned cruel, "The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor," she focused on him, clicking her fingers and pointing a finger at him, "Join the revolution".

Rory straightened, "I've got to go and get them out," he said, moving to walk towards the door, only for the Ganger Doctor to suddenly leap up from the table and shove him back, standing with the Gangers. He stumbled back, staring back at him with wide, shocked eyes.

…

Dicken was busy lowering a large lid from above the vat to cover it, just trying to find a way to try and slow down the impending explosion that would see all of them dead within seconds now that they were trapped inside the Acid Room. The Hatter was still by Amy's side, an arm wrapped around the girls back as they watched.

"It'll never hold her," Jimmy remarked as he watched the lid slowly lower down towards the vat.

"If you have a better plan, I'm all ears," the Doctor called to him from the other side of the vat, "In fact, if you have a better plan, I'll take you to a planet where _everyone_ is all ears".

"Interesting people," the Hatter said weakly, her hearts not really in it.

The lid closed over the vat, locking into place.

….

Rory couldn't believe what he was seeing, that the Doctor could possibly side with the Gangers with what they had planned, "Doctor, we can't just let them _die_ ," he breathed, staring at him, horrified, "And what about the Hatter? She's _trapped_ in that room, you would never just let her…die".

The Doctor hardly even seemed to hear him, shaking back his sleeve and checking his watch, "Ring, ring," he looked back up to him.

He moved closer to him, desperately trying to get through to him, "Doctor!"

He shoved him back again, making Rory stumble, "Ring, ring!" he shouted.

…

Cleaves carefully bent down slightly to take a closer look at the shaking lid over the vat, smoke hissing out of the edge, "The acid's eating through…" she commented warily.

"Get back!" the Hatter cried, just as the building shock again and a hot burst of stem came from the vat, but the Doctor was faster and he managed to pull Cleaves back before it could hit her face.

….

The entire building was shaking, making everyone stumble around as they struggled to stay standing, the quake seeming to be far worse than any other one that they had had thus far. Rory tried to use it to his advantage, moving to try and dart for the door again.

"Stay!" the Ganger Doctor ordered, pointing at him warningly, just as the shaking died down.

He stopped and held up his hands, seeing the deadly serious glint in the Doctor's eyes, "Okay," he breathed, nodding.

A telephone started ringing, the shrill noise echoing off the stone walls.

"Ah, that'll be the phone," the Ganger Doctor smiled slightly, spinning around on his heel, "Somebody get the phone. Jimmy, get the phone," he looked over to the man, not even giving him a chance to say anything before spinning back around again, "No? Fine, I'll get the phone," he straightened his bowtie, "Stay put".

Everyone watched on in confusion as he strolled over to the other side of the room to where the phone was sitting on a table, picking it up and flashing the sonic screwdriver at it, making a hologram of a young boy in pyjamas appear before him.

"Thank you for booking your halo-call with Morpeth Jetsan," a female operator began in a smooth voice, "Bringing the world together…"

"Ha!" the Ganger Doctor cheered, breaking into a broad smile at the sight of the young boy, "Hello, Adam, I'm the Doctor," Jimmy slowly stood, staring at the hologram, "Well, other Doctor," he continued cheerfully, slipping the sonic inside his blazer, "Or Smith. It's complicated and boring," he shook his head, flashing the boy another wide smile, "Anyway, who cares, it's your birthday!"

"Yay!" Adam said excitedly.

"Yay!" he held up his hands, before turning serious, "Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed?"

"Yes, _really_ high".

Ganger Jimmy smiled, delighted as he watched his son.

"I expect chocolate for breakfast," the Ganger Doctor told him, "If you don't feel sick by mid-morning, you're not doing it right. Now, I think you want to speak to Dad," he turned towards Ganger Jimmy, smiling.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! Daddy?"

Jimmy's smile faded and he swallowed, hard. The Doctor walked over to him, "You'll do, Jimmy," he said to him, raising his eyebrows, "What does the other Jimmy matter now?" he shrugged, "You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting".

"Daddy?" Adam called, twisting the front of pyjamas top around in his small hands. Another quake hit, shaking the monastery, "Daddy, what's that rumbly noise?" Jimmy looked back to the Doctor, who was watching him carefully, "What's going on, Daddy?" he asked again, "Daddy?"

Ganger Jimmy turned and ran out of the room, disappearing from sight.

Ganger Jennifer turned on the Ganger Doctor, glaring at him, "You've tricked him into an act of weakness, Doctor".

"No, my genius wife tricked him into an act of humanity," he corrected calmly, looking over to her, "The Hatter's always known just what to do or say to get through to people. It was _her_ idea; I only did what she asked. Anyone else like the sound of that?" he raised his eyebrows, looking around to the other Ganger's, "Act of humanity?" he focused on Ganger Jennifer.

"Dicken," Ganger Cleaves called, her hands clasped behind her back, "Drain the acid well in Crypt One," she ordered, and the young man nodded, hurrying out of the room.

"Don't you dare!" Ganger Jennifer shouted angrily after him, glaring.

"I've had this!" she snapped, turning on Ganger Jennifer, "What's the point in this ridiculous war? Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid," she shook her head sadly, "Look at you now. The stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters".

She lifted her chin, determined, "You can't stop the factory from melting, boss," she smirked at her, "I'll take revenge on humanity with or without you".

"It doesn't have to be about revenge," the Ganger Doctor tried, leaning over the table, "It can be so much better than that".

Ganger Jennifer rolled her eyes and pushed past Ganger Cleaves, storming out of the room.

…

The lid of the vat was shaking even worse now as Jimmy struggled with it, trying to keep it locked down as the others stood back, watching warily. Suddenly, a burst of steam flew out and hit Jimmy in his chest, causing him to cry out in agony as he stumbled back, clutching at his chest. The Doctor and Dicken leaped forward, pulling him away from the vat as the Hatter dashed to Jimmy's side. Above them, the door opened and Jimmy's Ganger ran into the room, dashing down the stairs to them.

"Let me through!" the Ganger shouted, running over to kneel by Jimmy's head as the Doctor carefully eased him onto the floor. He gently cradled Jimmy's head.

The Hatter swallowed, hard, as she placed a hand on the Ganger's shoulder, "I'm afraid it's too late," she said softly, glancing at Jimmy's chest. The acid had eaten a hole through his clothing and into his chest, leaving the area smoking as the acid continued to make its way through his chest, "I'm so sorry," she shook her head, "But the acid has reached his heart, he won't have much longer," she gave his shoulder a comforting squiz as she stepped back to give them some space.

The Ganger nodded, looking back down to his original self, "Hang in there, mate," he urged him.

Jimmy gasped for breath, looking up to him, "I'm quite handsome from this angle".

"I'm…sorry. I'm the fake. Adam deserves his _real_ dad".

"Shut up".

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, staring down at him, watching as he grew weaker, "Anything. Just say".

"The way things are, mate," he hiccupped for breath, his voice growing softer, "It's up to you now," he grabbed a leather cord from around his neck and pressed it into his Ganger's hands, "Be a dad. You remember how," his eyes slipped closed and he died. The Ganger stared down at him for a long moment before slowly opening his palm to see a gold wedding band on the leather cord, glinting in the light.

"Jimmy Wicks…" the Doctor began, making the rather shocked Ganger look up. He smiled at him, "You're a dad".

….

"Daddy?" Adam's hologram called through the dining hall while Rory, Ganger Cleaves, and the Ganger Doctor waited for the others. The little boy shuffled on the spot, trying to look around the room, "Where's my Daddy?"

The Ganger Doctor straightened from where he had been leaning over the table, looking up just in time see Ganger Jimmy step into the room, looking quite shocked as he walked over towards the hologram. The others quickly followed, Rory running straight to Amy and throwing his arms around her, hugging her tightly while Cleaves came to stand by her own Ganger. The Hatter smiled as the Ganger Doctor broke into a delighted grin, the two practically running to meet each other halfway across the room in a big hug.

"Oh, you're alright," the Ganger Doctor breathed into the Hatter's neck, hugging her tightly, "I thought…"

"Shh," she hushed, shaking her head as she pulled back from him. She reached up to gently pushed his hair off his forehead, "I had a pretty good Doctor to take care of me," she smiled, nodding to the Doctor as he joined them.

The Doctor flashed his Ganger a bright smile that the other one happily returned, the two shaking hands. They fell into place on either side of the Time Lady, turning to watch as Ganger Jimmy slowly walked over to the hologram of Adam.

"Daddy, it's me!" Adam told him excitedly, catching sight of his father.

Ganger Jimmy grinned, laughing slightly nervously, "Hey, sunshine. What are you up to?"

"Opening all of my presents".

"Ha, ha, good lad," he said fondly, laughing again, "You have fun today. And remember your Dad…he loves you very, _very_ much".

"When are you coming home?"

The Hatter stepped forward and into Adam's view, giving him a broad smile, "He's coming home today," she told him, giving Ganger Jimmy a reassuring look, seeing him struggling slightly. She turned back to the hologram, "Your Daddy is going to be there for your birthday, I promise," she stepped closer to the hologram, lowering her voice, "And I'll tell you something else, I always keep my promises," she grinned, winking at Adam.

"Yay!" Adam shouted, dancing on the spot in his slippers.

Ganger Jimmy laughed, watching his son.

The Doctor looked around to everyone, his expression very serious, "Now, we need to move," he said, taking the Hatter's hand and leading the way out of the room, the others right on their heels.

They ran through the monastery, horns blaring and lights flashing as they went, only to come to a quick stop as they rounded a corner of a passageway to find a misshapen Ganger Jennifer that seemed to have some way to stretch out her entire body making her twice as tall as she once was, so much so that she was forced to move on all fours. She growled and hissed at them, looking every bit the monster that Ganger Cleaves had said she had become.

"Blimey," the Hatter breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at Ganger Jennifer, horrified by what the young woman had become.

"Run," the Doctor told them, tightening his grip on the Hatter's hand, "Run," he looked back to them when they didn't move, to stunned by what they were witnessing to, "Run!" he shouted, ushering them back.

Ganger Jennifer chassed after them as they took off around a corner and down another corridor, running as fast as they could as the sound of Jennifer's animalistic growls sounded behind them, all the while the ground beneath their feet trembled. They ran through an open door and into another large room, the Doctor and the Hatter skidding to a halt, blocking the others from moving any further into the room as they looked up at the shaking ceiling.

"Ooh, the roof's going to fall!" the Doctor remarked, eyeing the dust that had began to fall.

Dicken's and his Ganger slammed the door shut as everyone ran in, both using their body weights to try and reinforce it, "We have to stop her," Ganger Dicken said to his original self, before looking back to the others, "This door doesn't lock!"

"No, but the far one does!" Dicken realised, and grabbed the door handle, pulling it open and running out before anyone could stop him. He took off running back down the hallway as they all watched tensely from the doorway. He reached a door in the middle of the passageway that had been left open and struggled with it, desperately trying to pull it away from the wall to close it, but it was jammed. Ganger Jennifer appeared at the end of the passageway and began running towards him, knocking barrels over in her wake, but in his desperation to close the door, he accidently broke the handle and the lock. Finally, he managed to move the door and began to close it, leaving himself trapped on the wrong side, blocking the door.

"No!" Ganger Dicken shouted, hearing the pained screams of Dicken echo up to them as he died trying to give them some time.

The Hatter moved to his side, her face pale and grim as she pulled him away from the door, allowing the Doctor a chance to slam the door shut, pressing his back to it as Amy joined him with Ganger Cleaves, blocking the door.

The Ganger Doctor looked back up to the groaning ceiling, breaking into a smile, "Here she comes," he commented happily, stepping backwards, just as the TARDIS fall straight through the ceiling with a cloud of dust and dirt before him.

"Oh, she does like to make an entrance!" the Doctor laughed, grinning from where he stood by the door.

"Just like her owner," the Hatter said fondly, glancing back to him.

The Ganger Doctor flashed them both a wide smile and reached into his pocket, dashing up to the TARDIS doors and unlocking them, swinging them open as he looked back to them, "Everyone move!" he called back to them, gesturing them towards the TARDIS.

Another violent quake hit.

The Ganger Doctor nodded, looking back to Ganger Dicken, Ganger Cleaves, and Amy, "Go, go, go, go!" he urged them, lightly pushing Ganger Dicken towards the time machine. The man hurried to do as he said, dashing over and into the TARDIS.

"Get on board!" Ganger Cleaves ordered her original self, seeing her hesitating, "Go!"

"I'm not leaving," Cleaves replied, shaking her head stubbornly.

There was a sharp bang on the door from the outside, almost causing Amy, Ganger Cleaves, and the Doctor to be completely knocked off the door, but luckily they managed to keep their balance.

Ganger Cleaves rolled her eyes at herself, giving her a firm look, " _Go_ ".

She paused again, before finally turning and making a run for the TARDIS, too.

"Hey," Amy grabbed the Doctor's arm, catching his attention, "Now's our chance".

"I have to stay," he told her, his eyes moving to rest on the Hatter. She looked at him sadly, her eyes watering slightly, "Hold this door closed. Give you time to dematerialise".

"Oh, don't be crazy," she groaned, sighing, "Okay, what happens to you?"

"Well, this place is just about to explode. But I can stop her".

"Both of you can survive this, okay? There has to be a way," she looked over to the Time Lady, "Hatter, tell him".

The Hatter shook her head, not saying a word, looking close to tears as she pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes fixed on the Doctor. He gave her a small, sad smile.

The Ganger Doctor came to stand beside the Time Lady, his eyes on Amy, "Or perhaps you think I should stay instead…Mr Smith?" he said, glancing at the Doctor.

Amy frowned slightly, looking over her shoulder to see him take the Hatter's hand, "No, of course not," she shook her head, moving away from the door and over to them, "But look, this man, I've flown with him, you know?" he raised his eyebrows at her, "And you are amazing and yeah, I misjudged you, but you're not _him_. I'm sorry".

"Amy, we swapped shoes," the Doctor, or rather the actual Ganger Doctor, told her, his back still pressed against the door.

"It's true," the Hatter agreed as Amy blinked, confused. She glanced at the Doctor beside her, the original one, " _He's_ the Doctor, they've been acting the entire time".

"And I'm the Flesh," the Ganger Doctor added from the door.

There was another loud bang on the door, making Ganger Cleaves and the Ganger Doctor flinch.

"You can't be," Amy frowned, shaking her head as she looked back to the proper Doctor by the Hatter, before turning back to his Ganger, "You're the real him".

"No, I'm not," the Ganger Doctor said quickly, slightly more focused on the loud growling that they could hear through the door, "And I haven't been all along".

"They swapped shoes back in the evac tower," the Time Lady informed her, sighing, "When they were behind the control panel, that's when they did it".

"What?" she gasped, looking back and forth between them, stunned by what she was hearing.

" _I'm_ the original Doctor, Amy," the Doctor said again, making her look back to him, "We had to know if we were truly the same. It was important, vital that we learn about the Flesh, and we could only do that through _your_ eyes".

Amy slowly turned to look back to the Ganger Doctor, staring at him for a long moment, before moving to throw her arms around him in a tight hug, "I never thought it possible…" she murmured.

"What?" the Ganger asked, hugging her back just as tightly.

"You're twice the man I thought you were".

He smiled very slightly, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor and the Hatter over her shoulder, "Push, Amy," he whispered in her ear, growing serious. She froze in his arms, completely confused, "But only when she tells you to".

There was another loud bang on the door, this time even more violent than before, and the Ganger Doctor hurriedly released Amy to jump back into position with his back against the door to help Ganger Cleaves.

"Amy!" Rory called from behind them, waiting outside the TARDIS doors, "Come on!"

Amy turned and ran past the Time Lords, heading for the TARDIS with Rory.

The Ganger Doctor looked back to the Time Lords, "Well, my death arrives, I suppose," he remarked, trying to sound light.

"But this one, we're not invited to," the Doctor said.

"What?" the Hatter's head snapped back to him, startled and very confused.

"Pardon?" his Ganger frowned slightly.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied, clearing his throat slightly as he glanced warily at the Hatter, who was eyeing him carefully, "I'll, uh, tell you later, dear," he assured her quietly, regretting having mentioned anything about that now. He hadn't planned on saying a thing to her, she didn't need that sort of stress when she was so heavily pregnant, but he knew that she would never let that just pass now. He looked back over to his Ganger, "Your molecular memory can survive this, you know".

The Time Lady pulled her eyes off the Doctor, turning to smile hopefully at the Ganger, "Indeed," she nodded, winking at him, "You might just make it out of this one yet".

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, tossing it over to his Ganger, who easily caught it. He pointed back to him, smiling, "Yeah, well, if I turn up to nick all your biscuits and the stash of jelly babies that the Hatter doesn't think we know about…"

"Oi!" she exclaimed, her eyes winding slightly as a blush covered her cheeks, "That was my last regenerations stash, and keep your hands off, Misters!" she pointed warningly between the two Doctors as they shared a grin.

He shook his head, "…then you'll know you were right, won't you?" he finished, still grinning at the Time Lady. His smile dimmed slightly as he looked back to his original self, nodding to each other.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, seeing the Ganger Doctor still by the door, not moving. Rory grabbed her and began to pull her towards the TARDIS as she struggled, "No, please…" she tried, but it was no use and Rory continued to pull her back towards the time machine.

The Hatter hurried forward and, without even giving the Ganger Doctor time to even move away from the door, threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He eagerly returned it, pressing his face into her neck and closing his eyes, savouring the scent of apples that he could smell from her shampoo and the scent of Gallifreyan grass that just seemed to always linger on her skin, regardless of regeneration or the fact that Gallifrey had long since died. He never wanted to forget that mixture of scents, to forget what it felt like to hold her in his arms or see her smiling face.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed in his ear, her voice choked with unshed tears, "This is so unfair".

"Shh," he hushed, lightly pressing a kiss onto her neck before pulling back to see her face properly. He struggled to give her a weak smile, his lip trembling with the effort, "No tears, please. You know I can't stand to see you cry".

She sniffled, using her sleeve to clumsily wipe a stray tear away as it slipped down her face, "Well, since you asked so nicely…" she said tearfully.

He laughed and looked past her to the Doctor, who was watching the scene with a sad expression, "You had better take good care of her," he told him sternly, his voice sounding almost as tearful as the Hatter's.

"You know I will," the Doctor nodded, very seriously as his eyes came to land on the Hatter, "Always".

The Hatter took a deep breath. She hated this, she hated how unfair it was, how this version of the Doctor would have to stay behind without her and would never even get the chance to see their child, regardless of whether or not he was made of Flesh. It wasn't fair, but they had known that it would be this way, she supposed. She could only have one Doctor, after all, it wouldn't have been very fair for the Ganger if he had been able to go with them and been forced to watch while the original Doctor got to have a relationship with her, while he couldn't. They might have been the same man in every possible way, but that simply would never have worked for any of them.

"You had better find a way to survive this," she said sternly to the Ganger, giving him a proper smile now, "I very dearly would like for you to still have the chance to see this little one," she placed a pointed hand on her baby bump.

The Ganger smiled widely, looking delighted by the prospect, "I would like that very much".

She nodded, smiling softly as she lightly kissed his cheek, forcing herself to turn away and walk back over to the Doctor, who took her hand and gave her a comforting look, "We need to go now," he said regretfully, casting a quick look back to his Ganger.

His Ganger gave him a nod, turning back to Ganger Cleaves, "You too, Cleaves," he told her, gesturing over to the TARDIS, "Off you pop".

"I'm staying," Ganger Cleaves replied, shaking her head.

"This is not the time for grand gestures!"

"Says the king of grand gestures! This is _my_ factory. I'm not going anywhere".

"Forman Miranda Cleaves…" he leaned over and kissed her forehead, making her blink, "Marvellous! Beware of limitations".

She shook her head at him and looked back over to see that the Doctor, the Hatter, Amy, and Rory where still standing just outside the TARDIS doors, watching them with small, sad smiles, "Clear off out of here, the lot of you!" she called to them, waving a hand.

The Doctor and the Hatter nodded to them one last time, before turning and ushering Amy and Rory into the TARDIS, pausing briefly in the doorway to look back at them, before closing the doors. After a moment, the TARDIS dematerialised.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood by the console; their arms wrapped around each other as they silently watched the Time Rotor move up and down, their expressions blank. Amy slowly approached them, looking at them worriedly as she reached out to touch the Hatter's arm. The brunet jumped, her head snapping around to look at her, having been completely off in a world of her own.

The Doctor cleared his throat, shaking himself from his own thoughts, "The energy from the TARDIS will stabilise the Gangers for good," he began pulling levers, hitting buttons as he spoke. He looked over to where Cleaves, Ganger Dicken, Ganger Jimmy, and Rory where standing on the other side of the console, "They're people now," he gave them a small smile.

"And what happens to me?"Cleaves asked, looking over to them, "Um, I still have this," she pointed up to her head, referring to her clot.

"Not to worry, we have something to fix that," the Hatter smiled at her, "Excuse me, sweetheart…" she lightly pushed the Doctor out of the way and bent down, with a little difficulty, to grab a small glass vial with a dark red substance inside it from a compartment beneath the control panel, "Ah, here we go," she said cheerfully, straightening and walking over to the other woman, "I'm afraid that it does taste rather horribly like burnt onions, but it will completely get rid of that blood clot without any side effects," she handed the vial to her.

The Doctor smiled broadly and clapped his hands, reaching around the side of the console and grabbing a bright red balloon that was attached to a red ribbon, holding it up for them to all see, "Happy endings," he remarked, watching the balloon.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood on a beach, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks washing over them as they watched Jimmy make his way over to his son with a red balloon in his hand. Adam didn't even notice them there, busy watching the water as a red balloon floated past him.

"Hey!" Jimmy called from behind Adam, grinning, "Hello, bud!"

Adam spun around and broke into a smile as he caught sight of his father, "Daddy, you're back!" he cried, delighted as he ran over to him.

He laughed and picked him up, spinning him around, "Hello, my boy!" he laughed, "How are you doing?"

The Hatter smiled broadly, watching the happy scene unfold before her, "Are you going to tell me what you meant about our deaths?" she asked in a low voice to the Doctor.

The Doctor's smile slipped from his face, his expression growing grim, "It was nothing," he shook his head, "Just something Amy said when she thought I was the Ganger".

"You're such a liar," she accused, pulling her eyes off Jimmy and Adam to fix him with a frown, "It was more than just nothing, otherwise you wouldn't be so closed to telling me," he ducked his head, refusing to meet her eyes, which only made her even more certain that he was keeping something from her, something very bad. She sighed, reaching out to take his hand, "Sweetheart…"

"Later," he cut across her, swallowing hard as he finally meet her eyes, "I promise, just…trust me. When we've finished with all this, I'll tell you".

She eyed him carefully for a moment, really not liking just how serious his expression was, before nodding in accepts. They hadn't finished what they needed to do yet and there was still something very important to come before they could put an end to this little adventure, but she wasn't going to just forget this. If the Doctor's reaction was anything to go by, it was very serious indeed.

He gave her a grateful smile, leaning over to lightly place a kiss on her cheek, before turning and leading her back over to the TARDIS.

….

The Time Lords opened the TARDIS doors and stepped out into a large reception area of a very modern looking building that had floor to ceiling panes of glass all around the room, the Morpeth-Jetsan's logo splashed across a nearby door. Cleaves and Dicken stepped out of the time machine from behind them, slowly making their way over towards the double doors with the Time Lords as Amy and Rory followed behind them.

"You really want us to do this?" Cleaves questioned, looking back to the Doctor and the Hatter.

"You company is telling the world that everything is over," the Doctor told her, nodding over to the set of double doors, "You need to get in there and tell them that the situation's only just begun".

"This is your moment," the Hatter turned to look back and forth between Cleaves and Dicken, her expression very serious as they came to a stop outside the doors, "Your moment to make them all understand just what they have been doing all these years, the wrongs that they have committed against the Flesh".

"Dicken," he focused on the young man, "Remember, people _are_ good. In their bones, truly good," he clapped him on his arm, "Don't hate them, will you?"

"How can I hate them?" Dicken replied, smiling slightly, "I'm one of them now".

"Yes, you are," the Time Lady gave him a small smile, "Remember this day as not only your second chance at life, but also for all the lives lost," her smile faded as she placed a hand on his arm, "Don't let those deaths be in vain," she glanced back to Cleaves, "Let every word you say really, _truly_ count".

Cleaves nodded and took a deep, steady breath, "Ready?" she looked over to Dicken as the Doctor and the Hatter broke into proud smiles, delighted to see just how far she had come since the start of this terrible day. They stepped over to stand before the doors, looking back to each other, "Side-by-side," she said to him.

He smiled, nodding to her, "You got it, boss".

"Good luck," the brunet wished them, watching them.

Cleaves gave them one last look, before focusing back on the doors and pulling them open to be greeted by camera flashes of photographs waiting inside the conference room.

"Have the army dealt with the imposters, sir?" a male news reported called from within the room.

"What sort of threat is there to the public?" a second reporter, a woman, asked over the noise of others shouting and calling out to Cleaves and Dicken as they entered the room, closing the door behind them.

Amy glanced at the Doctor and the Hatter as they stared at the door, their expression growing grim and wary, not at all like she would have expected. Shouldn't they have been happy? They had saved the day, again, and possibly helped to make a brighter future for the Flesh, "You two okay?" she asked, concerned.

The Doctor looked back to her, his gaze very intent, unsettlingly so, "We said to breathe, Pond," he told her, making her frown slightly, confused, "Remember?"

"You need to do that now," the Hatter said sternly, eyeing her carefully, "Right _now_ , Amy, _breathe_ ".

"Why?" she demanded, not understanding.

" _Breathe_ ," they ordered in unison.

She stared at them, when…"Oh!" she gasped out in pain, doubling over as she clutched at her stomach.

Rory grabbed her arm, his eyes widening in alarm, "Whoa…!" he hurriedly looked back up to the Time Lords, finding them simply watching Amy with grim expressions.

"Oh!" she grimaced, wincing painfully as the pain seemed to subside, straightening slightly, "Whoa, whoa…"

"What's wrong with her?" he looked back up to the Time Lords.

"Get her to the TARDIS," the Doctor said instead, walking back over to the TARDIS.

"Oh, ow!" she groaned, the pain washing back over her.

"It's going to be okay," the Hatter said gently, placing a hand on Amy's back as she looked back to Rory, "We need to move her, quickly".

He blinked, completely confused and very worried, but he didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around Amy's waist as she continued to groan painfully, helping her back over to the time machine and slipping back inside, the Hatter shutting the door behind them as they entered the console room. The Time Lady moved past them and up to join the Doctor at the controls.

"Hatter!" Rory called after them, supporting Amy, "Doctor! What is happening to her?"

The Hatter stopped on the final step, closing her eyes tightly, "She's experiencing contractions, Rory," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Contractions?"

"Yes," she nodded, turning around to look back at their confused and startled faces, "This tends to happen once a woman is ready to give birth".

"Did she say…?" Amy began breathlessly, looking back to Rory, who quickly turned back to her, "No," she shook her head, grabbing Rory's arm and patting it, trying to reassure herself, "No, no, of course she didn't," she took a deep breath, tightening her hold on him fearfully, "Rory, I don't like this…ow!" she broke off with another pained gasp, doubling over.

Rory shook his head and urgently looked back up to the Time Lords, "You're going to have to start explaining to me some of this to me," he demanded, looking back to Amy.

"What, the birds and the bees?" the Doctor sighed, not looking back to them, "She's having a baby," they stared back at him, confused as the Hatter ducked her head, hating to see how frightened and confused they both were, "We needed to see the Flesh in its early days," he continued, speaking fast, "That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. We were going to drop you off for fish n' chips first, but things happened and there were stuff and shenanigans…" his voice grew distant, "Beautiful word, shenanigans".

"It hurts," Amy whimpered, her eyes tightly closed as she clutched onto Rory.

"But you're okay?" Rory asked her worriedly.

"You need to focus on breathing," the Hatter called to them, taking a step down the stairs towards them, "I'm sorry, I really am and I so very wish I could do something for you, but we can't," she shook her head sadly.

The Doctor finally turned around and moved to stand at the top of the stairs, watching as Amy groaned loudly, "We needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh," he informed them.

"What signal?" Amy gasped, looking up to them.

"The signal to you," he replied quietly.

"Doctor?" she shook her head, frowning up at them, "Hatter?"

"I'm sorry, Amy, Rory," the Hatter began, swallowing hard, feeling horrible having to do this, "But you need to stand aside, Rory".

"Why?" he demanded, staring up at them, his expression growing determined, "No!" he tightened his grip on Amy, "And why?"

"Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can, but I need to do this and you need to _stand away_!" the Doctor ordered, raising his voice at the last two words.

"Doctor," the Time Lady said gently, placing a hand on his arm, knowing that he was only getting so worked up because he was worried, worried about Amy and her child. He took a deep, calming breath, and nodded to her.

Rory looked back to Amy, who frantically shook her head, realising what he was about to do as he reluctantly let go of his wife and backed away from her, looking back up to the Time Lords with his jaw tense.

"No," she breathed, her lips trembling as he moved away from her, "No," she tried grabbing his hand again, but he was already out of reach. She whirled back around to look back up to the Time Lords, "Doctor, Hatter, I am frightened," she told them, her voice shaking fearfully, "I'm properly, properly scared".

The Hatter moved down to her, reaching out to touch Amy's cheek, "It's going to be okay, Amy," she assured her, keeping her voice low and gentle, "You will be okay, both you and your baby because we are coming for you," her voice grew stronger, determined, "We will find you both, regardless of the length or distance that we have to cover, we _will_ get you back, this I _swear_ to you and your child".

Amy grabbed her wrist, holding her hand in place as he remained on her cheek, "I'm right here," she tried desperately.

She swallowed, shaking her head, "In spirit, yes," she agreed, letting her hand drop, "But not really, nor have you been for some time. You have to be strong now," she gave her a watery smile as she stepped back, gently easing Amy's fingers off her wrist as she backed away, "You're a mother now, and you're going to need as much strength as you possibly can get to be strong and brave for the both of you".

The Doctor took the Hatter's hand and reached into his pocket, pulling his sonic screwdriver and aiming it down at Amy. Rory flinched, every part of his being wanting to run to Amy's side.

"Oh, no!" Amy gasped tearfully, shaking her head.

He activated the sonic and Amy melted away into a puddle of goop on the floor.

…

Hours had passed since Amy's Ganger had been melted and the Doctor found himself standing at the top of the stairs that over looked the doorway, his eyes fixed on the now spotlessly clean floor where the puddle of Flesh had been. It was bad enough that they had taken Amy, that they had had her for months now, but it was another thing that they had also taken her while she was pregnant and more vulnerable than ever. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he might have done if he had been in Rory's shoes and if the Hatter had been taken. There wouldn't have been a single inch of the Universe that he wouldn't have searched for the Hatter and their child, and once he had found her, he would have insured that the people or person responsible would pay, just as he would for Amy and Rory now.

Light footsteps sounded on the stairs that lead to the upper levels of the TARDIS, and he turned his head very slightly to see the Hatter slowly walking down the steps towards him. She looked exhausted and her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been recently crying. She had shed her jacket and even kicked off her shoes, leaving her walking barefoot in her navy blue tights as she stepped down onto the glass floor.

"Found anything yet?" she asked warily as she crossed to the console, pulling the monitor screen around to face her.

"No," he sighed heavily, turning around to properly face her, "Not even a whisper," he watched her carefully as her expression didn't even change, obviously having expected the response, "How's Rory?"

"Devastated," she replied quietly, dropping her eyes from the screen, "He's so terrified for Amy and his baby that he can't even be happy that he's a father".

The Doctor winced at the thought, at the idea of not even being able to be there when the Hatter gave birth to their child. He truly did feel for Rory, he understood just how painful that would be for him to have to miss, it was just simply a moment that all fathers should be there for and Rory would never get that chance to be there at the birth of his first child. It was tragic and so very bittersweet, "We'll get them back," he said firmly, moving around to her as she turned to face him properly. He lightly used his finger to lift her chin, meeting her eyes, "You and me, we will get them both back safely".

"I have no doubt in that, sweetheart," the Hatter smiled very slightly, though it didn't quite meet her eyes, "I fully believe in us and our ability to bring them both back to Rory, safe and sound".

"Where is he, anyway?"

"Rory? I left him asleep in my sitting room. I didn't wish to disturb him when he looked so peaceful".

He raised an eyebrow, dropping his hand back to his side, "He's sleeping?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing her carefully, "After he was practically going out of his mind earlier?"

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes as she moved around him and ideally flicked a switch, "He was very tired, Doctor, it's been a very difficult day for him…"

"Hatter," he cut in, turning to watch her, his eyes not leaving her for a second.

The Hatter cleared her throat, still avoiding his eyes, "I might have slipped something into his tea…"

"You drugged him?"

"No, no…yes," she sighed, shifting slightly uncomfortably under his gaze, "I'm not proud of it and I expect that I probably have crossed a rather large line in having done so, but I was only trying to help," she hurriedly tried to defend herself, looking very guilty, "He's just so upset, he was going to end up making himself sick, so I added a tiny dose of my own personal sedative into his tea and he dozed off".

He stared at her, looking slightly alarmed, "If he finds out…"

"He won't," she said quickly, sounding quite sure of herself, "It was very slow acting, he won't even notice. Besides, he was so tired, he was practically dead on his feet by the time I calmed him down enough to get him to sit down and drink his tea, I just gave him an extra push".

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. He'll sleep for the next nine hours and when he wakes, he'll be fully capable to be able to start handling everything with a clear, refreshed mind".

"Hatter, you can't just go drugging people," he frowned at her, his tone scolding.

"I don't make a habit of it!"

The Doctor sighed, running a hand down his face. He could tell already that she felt guilty for it, it wouldn't be her unless she did, but he wasn't entirely sure about whether or not it was truly the best way of doing things. He could see her point, see how she was just trying to help Rory, but he couldn't help being worried about just what the after-effects might be. She seemed completely certain that Rory wouldn't think twice about it and in his current state he probably wouldn't, but he still would have preferred it if she had perhaps gone about it slightly differently, "Let's just make sure that this doesn't happen again, dear," he told her with a wary look, "It's not very often that I'm the one who has to question your method of doing things, but drugging people…"

"Yes, I know," the Time Lady cut across him, frowning slightly, but he could tell that it was directed at herself, rather than him, "It doesn't sit entirely comfortably on me, either. I was simply doing the only thing that I could think of to help him in the moment, it most certainly won't happen again," she cast a glanced back over towards the stairs, twisting her hands together, "I feel guilty enough as it is as a strong believer in freewill," she sighed, looking down at the glass floor, or at least she would have been, had her baby bump not blocked her view, "I probably won't even be able to look him in the eye for the next week".

He looked away from her and shook his head, his eyes growing distant as he thought over everything that had occurred that day, "What a mess we find ourselves in, dear," he muttered, looking back to her.

"Indeed," she nodded, before crossing her arms across her chest, fixing him with a sharp look, "Speaking of messes, mind telling me what it is that you meant about our deaths?" she raised an eyebrow at him as his eyes widened slightly, seeming to be startled by her question, "You said you would tell me later, well, it's later. Please explain".

"It's not important".

"Yes, it is, so stop avoiding the subject and tell me. You and I both know that ignorance won't protect me, it will only ever place me in even more danger since I will be even more curious to find out just what it is that you're keeping from me".

For a long moment the Doctor didn't speak, he simply stared back at her, trying to find the right way to tell her. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her distress, but there just wasn't any real easy way of telling her without doing that. He reached out and took her head, slipping his fingers through hers, the gesture instantly calming him, "When Amy thought I was a Ganger," he began, his voice soft, "She told me something, or rather she implied it…"

"What did she say?" she asked, frowning, concerned.

He hesitated, taking a deep breath, "She all but told me that she had witnessed our deaths".

Shock crossed the Hatter's face, followed by confusion and alarm. She tightened her grip on his hand as her expression smoothed out, "America," she said after a moment, realisation hitting her, "That's what they were keeping from us, why they acted so strangely. They had seen us die…well, an older version of us, obviously," she corrected, almost absently.

"There's more. We also invited Amy, Rory, and River to be there to witness the entire thing".

"The blue letters," she breathed, her eyes widening slightly as it clicked into place, but there was still so much of it that didn't make sense, "But…" she paused, fear spreading across her face as her eyes snapped back up to his, "The baby, did she mention anything about it?" she asked urgently, her free hand moving to rest worriedly on her stomach, "How far into the future are we talking here?"

He shook his head and comfortingly covered her hand that was on her baby bump, "She didn't say a word about the baby," he said soothingly, and almost instantly some of her fear faded, "And for all we know, it could be so far into the future that our baby is all grown up and a teenager. We don't know enough about it to start fretting about that yet".

"You're right," she nodded, forcing herself to push away those worries and fears for now, but it wasn't easy. The idea of them dying and leaving their child behind broke her hearts, she couldn't stand the idea of it, and yet, right now, there was nothing that she could actually do about it, "We don't know nearly enough about any of this to start getting upset, and besides, our first focus should be on finding Amy and her child, not something that could happen a hundred years from now," she said, trying hard to regain her composer.

He eyed her worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I just found out that you and I are going to die in the distant future, possibly leaving our unborn child an orphan. No, I am very _not_ okay," she took a deep breath, swallowing, "But we need to take one step at a time and right now that's finding Amy".

"You're handling this much better than I expected, dear".

"I'm a mother," she meet his eyes, "I can handle anything ,need I remind you of that?

"No," he shook his head, a small smile crossing his face as he touched her cheek, "You're the strongest woman I know, you never need to remind me of just what you can handle".

"Good," she lifted her chin higher, "Now, let's focus on finding a way to bring Amy and her baby home, and worry about our possible impending death later".

And with that, they turned back to the console and set to work trying to track Amy down, all the while desperately trying not to let themselves think too deeply about just what their possible death might mean for their child.

 _ **I'm sorry about how long this has taken for me to post, much longer than I expected, anyway. I was very busy last weekend with a family thing that meant travelling for two hours, and then, of course, I just had to get sick and really haven't felt up to doing much writing. But I finally got around to editing this chapter and here we are, be it with a lot of coughing on my part. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **I have considered the Hatter forgetting the Doctor, but it was more of a one-shot sort of thing where she has an accident or something and losses her memory for a little while. I really ought to think about it more, it would be quite fun to write a Hatter that just doesn't have a clue of what's going on or who the Doctor is. Thank you for the suggestion and review :)**_


	16. Chapter16 A Good Man Goes To War, Part 1

_**A Good Man Goes To War, Part 1**_

The Hatter was sitting on one of the jump-seats in the TARDIS console, her feet propped up on a padded footrest while her bright yellow shoes where sitting by her chair. She was under, well, the Doctor's orders to literally put her feet up since her last blood pressure results had come back as being through the roof, much to her and the Doctor's concern. But even though she was technically under TARDIS arrest until her blood pressure calmed down and her ankles deflated enough for the Doctor to be happy, that didn't mean that she wasn't still very much involved in the search for Amy, in fact, she was doing perhaps even more from the TARDIS then she could have got done running around.

She reached forward and adjusted the computer screen of the mini-laptop that she had perched on her lap, watching the screen closely as she quickly typed in a command and the screen divided into two different live video feeds, one that showed the Doctor as he carefully crept around a Cyberman's ship. She only just resisted rolling her eyes, with fondness; of course, as her husband accidently caught his foot on a bit of machinery and almost face planted the floor before managing to right himself by grabbing a nearby railing. She moved her gaze onto the second video feed, where Rory was carefully hidden in the shadows of a hallway in another Cyberman ship, his back pressed against the wall, dressed up like a Roman centurion.

"Okay, boys," she called, reaching up to activate the small comm. that she had stuck in her ear, her eyes fixed on both video feeds, "I've planned out this entire thing, so just do as we practised and everything will go smoothly," she began typing something into the keyboard as she continued, "Rory, wait for my signal before making your grand entrance".

"Um, are you sure this is going to work?" Rory's voice crackled in her ear, sounding slightly concerned as, on the video feed, she could see him nervously looking around the empty hallway, "What if they just…kill me?"

"They won't, trust me," she assured him, her voice growing gentle, "And just remember, if you want to back out of this, we can. We can find another way…"

"No," his cut across her, his voice strong and full of determination, "For Amy and my baby, I'll do whatever I have to".

She smiled softly, "Very well," she switched her attention back to the Doctor's feed, watching as he knelt down and started fiddling with something, the camera not quite in the right angle to see what it was, but she knew already. It was a bomb, one of her own design and build, and there were several others that the Doctor had been charged with positioning throughout the Cyberman's ships.

It had taken them a week to narrow down their search of Amy, but still, they had a massive chunk of information that they still had no way of getting, and so they had decided to pay an old enemy a little visit: the Cybermen. It had taken both herself and the Doctor two days to hack into the Cyberman's computers, giving them complete control over their video feeds and security systems in ordered to sneak Rory on board the main Cyberman ship without anyone being the wiser, and today, finally, it was their time to enact their plan and finally get the answer to where Amy and her baby where.

"Doctor?" she called, switching the comm. link to his, "Have you finished with those bombs yet?"

"Almost, dear," the Doctor replied, sounding slightly distracted as he continued to fiddle with something on the video.

"Do make sure that the bomb is facing the right way up this time, won't you? We don't want another repeat of our little nonstarter from our practise".

"What does it matter if the bomb is upside down?" he asked, sounding confused as his head popped up and he looked directly up towards where the camera was sitting on the ceiling.

She sighed, "Doctor, I used to build bombs that could destroy a entire battle fleet of Dalek's during the Time War, I assure you that I know what I'm doing when it comes to building bombs," she told him, a hint of exasperation entering her voice, "It's just a failsafe to make sure that you don't blow yourself up while carrying them".

"Safety first," he commented cheerfully, flashing the camera a smile and wink.

The Time Lady shook her head fondly, a small smile crossing her face, "Just finish hooking that last bomb up and get back here".

He sent the camera a kiss before ducking back down to continue fiddling with the bomb. She laughed and glanced quickly at the small clock that she had sitting up in the upper right-hand side corner of the screen, before turning her attention across to Rory's feed, reaching up to tap her com., "Okay, Rory," she said, typing something into the keyboard, "It's your turn".

Rory glanced up and down the hallway, his shoulders tense as he hurried down it, still keeping to the shadows, his red cape billowing around him as he carefully avoided detection of two Cybermen as they approached an open door. He flashed the Doctor's sonic screwdriver at the doors lock, causing the door to slide shut on the Cybermen.

"Excellent work, Rory," the Hatter said over the link, smiling as she glanced across to check on the Doctor, pleased to find that he had finished with the last bomb and was already on his way back to where the TARDIS had been parked in the corridor just outside the very same room.

Alarms began to go off and the Time Lady didn't bother to stop them from going off, turning her attention back onto Rory's feed.

"Intruder, level nine," a Cyberman announced over their own comm. link, which the Hatter had easily hacked into when she had gotten into the video feeds. A few very small explosions went off in the background, just as they had planned in order to try and distract them while the Doctor got back to the TARDIS.

"Seal level nine," the Cyberleader ordered, just as the ships shaking started to grow worse as more small explosions went off.

"Intruder, level eleven," another Cyberman called, and the Hatter couldn't help smirking as she typed quickly. It was another rouse to try and confuse them, to make it seem like there was more intruders on board the ship, running about, when really, it was just a computer virus pretending to be a life form on the different levels.

"Seal levels twelve," the Cyberleader commanded, the shaking still going, "Thirteen and fourteen…"

"Intruder, level fifteen".

The TARDIS door swung open and the Hatter looked up, breaking into a broad smile at the sight of the Doctor. He quickly shut the door and hurried up to the console to join her, placing a kiss to her cheek and kneeling on the floor to see the laptop screen himself.

"Missed me, dear?" he grinned at her.

"Just a little bit," she teased, before they both forced themselves to turn their attention back onto the computer screen, watching.

The Cybermen all marched closer to the door, the Cyberleader in the front, "Prepare to engage," the Leader told the others, aiming their weapons at the door.

The door slid open and Rory calmly strolled inside, hardly seeming to even notice the very large gun currently being aimed at him as he simply looked back to them. The Doctor climbed back onto his feet and rushed over to the controls, pressing a button and setting them off, carefully piloting the time machine to land invisibly inside the very same control room, just off to the side of the Cybermen and Rory. He even managed to do it without causing the Hatter to tumble onto the floor, actually flying the TARDIS with proper care this time and doing everything as smoothly as he possibly could. He had to admit, the Hatter had been forcing him to practise the entire week to make sure that it did all go smoothly, but he still felt that it was quite boring not hearing the wheezing noise.

"I have a message and a question," Rory said on the screen as the Doctor moved back to the Hatter's side, "A message from the Doctor and the Hatter, and a question from me," he glared at the Cybermen, "Where. Is. My. Wife?" he demanded, frowning and shaking his head at them when they didn't respond, "Oh, don't give me those blank looks. The Twelfth Cyber Legion monitors this entire quadrant," he continued calmly, walking casually around the side of the room to stand before a large window that had the fleet of Cyberships floating just outside it, looking back to the Cybermen as they followed his movement, "You hear _everything_. So you tell me what I need to know. You tell me now, and I'll be on my way".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other as the Time Lady removed a small black device from her pocket that had a red and green button on it. She placed her thumb over the red button, raising her eyebrows at the Doctor, taking a deep breath, "Are you ready for this?" she said quietly.

He covered her thumb with his own, giving her a supportive smile, "We'll do it together," he told her, knowing that while this might have been all for Amy, even still, the Time Lady wouldn't be entirely comfortable with what they were about to do. They turned back to the screen.

"What is the Doctor and Hatter's message?" the Cyberleader asked.

They both pressed the button and watched as, outside the control room's window, all of the ships exploded, sending flames and metal into space.

Rory didn't even blink, completely unfazed as he stared straight back at the Cybermen, "Would you like me to repeat the question?"

….

Of course, after the Time Lords little display with the Cybermen, they got the information that they had been looking for. Apparently, Amy had been taken to a place called Demons Run, but the people who had taken her also happened to have a massive armour at their control guarding the asteroid that the base had been built on. But the Doctor and the Hatter prepared for that, and decided that it was about time that they start to collect on a few debts that they were owed. Their first stop was to Victorian London, 1888.

The TARDIS doors flew open and a green, scaly skinned Silurian woman strolled calmly into the consol room, soon followed by a dark haired, human girl that was struggling to carrying two large bags with her. One of the cases even looked as if it might have been carrying two swords inside it.

"Vastra!" the Hatter called in delight to the Silurian, stepping down the consol steps to greet the pair, while the Doctor and Rory, who looked a little surprised, trailed behind her.

Vastra gave her a warm smile, allowing the Time Lady to bundle her up into a large hug, "Hello, old friend," she said happily, returning the hug before pulling back slightly, her eyes winding very slightly as she took in the sight of the rather large and obvious baby bump, "It would seem that time has changed us both," she remarked, eyeing her stomach almost curiously. The Hatter smile softened as she placed a hand on her stomach, "Last that we saw of each other, you had only just learnt of the exiting news".

"It seems like a lifetime ago," the Doctor said fondly, glancing at the Hatter as he placed his hand on the brunet's lower back. It really did feel like it had been a lifetime ago since they had learnt the news that they would be parents, so much had changed for the two of them since then, but he wouldn't' have wanted it any differently...well, okay, maybe a few things would have been nice to change, like the morning sickness and high blood pressure, though that had thankfully gone down a bit over the past two days.

The Hatter cast him a quick, amused look, "And it's only been thirteen and a half months," she reminded him, when her eyes fell onto the dark haired, very obviously human girl that had accompanied Vastra, "Oh, hello," she smiled broadly at the girl, "So sorry, I don't believe we've meet before…"

The girl quickly dropped into a small curtsy, "Begging your pardon, ma'am, I'm Jenny," she introduced herself, straightening.

"Oh, please don't curtsy," she sighed, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor, "We're not ones for formalities, I'm afraid".

"Especially this one," the Doctor added, shooting the Hatter a pointed look.

She rolled her eyes fondly, "You're one to talk," she turned back to Jenny, flashing her a bright smile, "Jenny, lovely name, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you," she held out her hand and, barely waiting for Jenny to sit the bag's down, took her hand and shook it rather enthusiastically.

"Jenny is my wife," Vastra informed them rather proudly, glancing at Jenny, who smiled and blushed faintly.

"Oh, congratulations!" the Doctor cheered, hurrying forward to pull both women into a hug, making them blink, looking a little startled.

"That's wonderful," the Hatter grinned, watching as Vastra pattered the Doctor's back a little awkwardly before he pulled back from them.

"Thank you," Vastra nodded to them, running a hand down the front of her late Victorian dress, looking back to them, "But I assume that your unexpected visit isn't about what has transpired the last few months," her eyes flickered over to Rory, eyeing his centurion amour curiously. She looked back to the Time Lords to find their expressions to have grown rather grave and serious, "What has happened, my friends?"

The Time Lords exchanged a quick look before the Doctor sighed, turning back to the couple with a very serious look, "We need your help," he told her…

….

With Vastra and Jenny more than happy to help them to rescue Amy, the Time Lords set off again to see yet another old friend, if that was even the right word, bringing the TARDIS to land in the middle of what appeared to be a war zone in the year 4037. Vastra and Jenny had already been sent off on a mission for the Time Lords, leaving the Doctor, the Hatter, and Rory behind to wait before the TARDIS doors for their next guest to walk in.

"Now, remember," the Hatter began, glancing at Rory with a stern look, "Strax is a Sontaran, so no matter how hard it might be to resist, do not make any mention of baked potatoes, his height, or anything about dishonour. Well…" she paused, dragging out the word thoughtfully, "Not unless you're trying to _really_ annoy him, then go for it".

The Doctor cleared his throat, though he was smiling very slightly, "Ah, Hatter?"

She glanced at him and sighed, "Okay, fine," she turned back to Rory, "Ignore that last part. It's probably best if we don't purposely try to annoy Strax, he's already being punished enough, I suppose".

"Punished?" Rory asked, frowning a little warily.

"Yes, he's been forced to become a nurse," she informed him, the corner of her mouth twitching very slightly, "It's the greatest punishment that a Sontaran can endure, since his species see helping the sick and weak to be a great shame".

"You two came up with that, didn't you?"

"Maybe," the Doctor remarked a little too proudly, exchanging a quick smile with the Hatter.

The TARDIS doors swung open and the sound of energy weapons being fired and explosions going off sounded throughout the room as a rather short, very baked potato like being entered the room, dressed in a dark blue coloured suit of armour and a rounded, dome shaped matching helmet held under the Sontaran's arm.

"Doctor," Strax greeted as he came to a stop before them, actually saluting them, "Hatter".

Rory blinked, his eyes widening very slightly as he stared at Strax, "Oh, I see what you mean…" he muttered to the Time Lady, who stood closest to him. They hadn't been joking about Strax looking like a baked potato, nor how short he would be.

The Doctor sighed loudly, pulling a face, "Oh, no saluting," he complained, looking across to the Hatter, "Why is it always the saluting?"

"I have no idea, sweetheart," the Hatter shook her head, lightly nudging Rory's side to get him to stay quiet for the time being, though she doubted if he would have even noticed through his breastplate. She fixed a smile to her face, "Hello, Strax. How's nursing treating you?"

Strax gave her a small glare, "The day will come when I will destroy you for the might and honour of the Sontaran Empire," his glare softened very slightly, almost looking resigned, "You should be resting".

She didn't even blink at his threat, still smiling, "Thank you, Strax, I assure you that I have been resting and am quite well".

He stood a bit straighter and nodded to her, apparently satisfied with her response, "Might I inquire as to what your business is here?" he questioned, looking back and forth between the Doctor and the Hatter.

"We have a mission for you," the Doctor replied, looking at him very seriously, "It will be dangerous, we are heavily outnumbered, and it's possible that we may not all survivor," he raised his eyebrows, ignoring the startled look that Rory was giving him, "So, Strax, feel like taking on an entire army?"

The Hatter winced slightly, glancing at the Doctor, "That's not exactly how we planned to ask him, sweetheart," she said softly, reaching out to comfortingly pat Rory's arm as she noticed the poor man looking a little pale.

"Just trying to make it sound a bit more inviting to a Sontaran, dear," he told her, giving her an apologetic smile, making her sigh. Well, he did have a point, that little pitch probably did sound like the best thing in the Universe to a Sontaran.

Strax looked back and forth between them for a moment, before breaking into a large smile that showed his small, uneven teeth, his eyes positively dancing with delight, "I look forward to hearing the sound of our enemies screams of agony as we obliterate them!" he said, almost gleefully.

The Hatter winced, trying hard to smile, "That's the sprite," she said weakly, wondering if they had just made a mistake.

….

Alarms and sirens blared as Rory stood in the shadows of a long corridor in the middle of Stormcage, standing only a short distance away from River's prison cell which happened to be very empty, River apparently have decided to duck off for a little stroll somewhere. Judging from the alarms, she hadn't been given permission to do so. Rory had been left behind by the Time Lords, who had gone off to continue preparing to help rescue Amy and the baby, leaving him behind to explain the situation to River. He still didn't see why he had to be the one to do it, but if they were busy planning a way to save Amy and the baby, then he wasn't going to argue with them.

Rory didn't have to wait long before the sound of heels lightly clicking against the floor began to near and he looked up to see River slowly swaying as she waltzed her way over towards where a phone was the wall. She was dressed in a pale blue Regency style dress, with a small matching hat pinned on top of her head and carrying a fur muffler, seeming to be blissfully ignoring the noise of the alarms going off around her. She reached the phone and picked up the receiver, pressing it against her ear.

"Oh, turn it off," she laughed into the phone, looking rather pleased with herself, "I'm breaking _in_ , not _out_ ," the alarms stopped as she continued, "This is River Song, back in her cell. Oh, and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you," she finished in a sing-song voice, putting the receiver back in its cradle. She turned and began to slowly dance along the floor towards her cell, when she stopped, catching sight of a figure standing in the shadows ahead of her, dressed like a Roman guard, "Oh!" she said in delight, smiling teasingly at the figure, "Are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos".

Rory stepped forward and into the light, "Doctor Song?" he began, a little uncertain, "It's Rory," he frowned a little bit as her smile faded, an odd expression crossing her face as she stared at him, "Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams, I'm not quite sure where we are…" he trailed off and shook his head.

"Yes," she nodded slowly, her voice soft as she continued to stare at him, "Yes, we've met," she stepped closer to him, her expression growing sadder, "Hello, Rory".

He started to nod, feeling quite relieved by the news, when he noticed the way that she was still staring at him, the sadness and softness of her eyes. He hadn't seen that expression on her before, nor could he imagine why it would be on her face now, "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

She opened her mouth to say something, when she stopped and laughed nervously, giving herself a little shake, "It's my birthday," she told him, and he blinked slightly in surprise. She smiled, her eyes lighting up, "The Doctor and the Hatter took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs," she laughed again, but this time it seemed actually happy, her eyes practically dancing, "The Hatter kept slipping over on the ice and the Doctor had to hold her up, until they both ended up falling over in a heap. We all laughed and the Hatter blushed bright red, trying to blame her dress, and then we had a competition to see who could make the best snowman," she grinned, shaking her head as Rory smiled faintly, "That's not all, they even managed to get Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge while we all danced".

Rory blinked rapidly for a moment, "Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?"

"Yes, he did. But you must never tell him," she grinned and pressed her finger to her lips, winking.

"I've come from the Doctor and the Hatter, too".

"Yes," she agreed, her smile dimming very slightly, "But at a different point in time".

"Unless there's two versions of both of them," he tried to joke.

River smirked teasingly at him, it was unsettling similar to the Hatter's own teasing little smirk that she wore whenever she was teasing someone, "Now, that's a whole different birthday," she laughed, turning away from him and stepping closer to the open doorway of her cell, reaching into her muffler to pull out her diary, flipping the book open.

Rory sighed heavily and frowned at her back, "They need you!" he said loudly, a note of urgency entering his voice. He hadn't come to play games or listen to stories about future versions of the Doctor and the Hatter; he came to do a job.

Her head snapped up, her back still to him, "Daemons Run," she breathed, snapping the book shut, her entire demeanour changing.

"How…how did you know?" he stared at her in shock and confusion.

She finally turned around to face him, "I'm from their future," she replied, her voice soft as she clutched at her diary, "I always know," her eyes swept down at his outfit, raising her eyebrows curiously as her eyes rose back up to meet his, "Why on Earth are you wearing that?"

He blinked and looked back down his front, "The Doctor and Hatter's idea".

"Of course," she smiled faintly, amused, "Their rules of engagement. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee…"

"Look ridiculous".

"Have you considered heels and a feathered hat?" she raised her eyebrows playfully at him, slowly turning away from him.

Rory sighed, "The Hatter did mention that I had a good face for a hat," he admitted, recalling the Time Lady attempting to get him to wear at least four different hats when they had come up with the idea in the first place, including a pirate hat, for some strange reason.

She laughed, not looking back to him, "Yes, that is a very Hatter thing to do," she commented fondly, "She does seem to believe that every outfit can be improved with a hat, regardless of context".

"They've taken Amy," he cut across her, serious, "And our baby," River visibly tensed and he walked closer to her, "The Doctor and the Hatter are getting some people together. We're going after her, but they need you, too".

"I can't," she said after a long pause, turning around to face him, her expression sad, "Not yet, anyway".

He stared at her in disbelief, "I'm sorry?"

"This is the Battle of Daemon's Run. The Doctor and the Hatter's darkest hour. They'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further, and…I can't be with them 'till the very end".

"Why not?"

"Because this is it," she turned and walked into her cell, looking back to his confused face through the cells bars, "This is the day they find out who I am".

…

Meanwhile, the Time Lords had one last person to visit that owed them a debt, and they brought the TARDIS to land in the back of a rather large space bar run by a man that they had had a few dealings with in the past. Said man had just dashed into the room as they landed, a suitcase in hand, but as he heard the noise of the TARDIS engines, he began to frantically back away, staring up at the blue box in horror.

"No!" he cried desperately, holding up a hand and shaking his head, "No, no, please! Not me! You don't need me!" the door opened and two silhouettes appeared on the wall behind him, one of the figures wearing a hat, "Why would you need me? I'm old, I'm fat, I'm blue. You don't need me!"

"Hush, Dorium," the Hatter said sharply, crossing her arms across her chest, "I do believe that you owe us a debt and it's time to collect".

…

Amy stood before a large window, stuck within the same completely white nursery room that she had been locked inside for the past three weeks, unable to leave or do anything. Her baby, oh, her little girl, had been snatched from her arms and taken away from her by the woman who was in charge, the one with the eye patch that had been watching her for all those months: Kovarian. She had tried to fight, she had given everything that she could to fight for her daughter, but it still hadn't been enough, not against the soldiers that had held her back. She felt empty now, fuelled only by the knowledge that they were coming, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Rory. They would find her and baby Melody, and they would rescue them. She _knew_ it, she _felt_ it.

Through the window she watched as the soldiers stood below in the massive spaceship hanger, gathered together as they listened intently to every word that their commanding officer, Manton, said from the platform in the middle of the room. Behind the man, on the same platform, stood three hooded figures, the Headless Monks. Amy didn't know what they were, nor did she find herself to be overly interested in anything that didn't concern her daughter or her impending rescue, but she knew that they belonged to some sort of religious order. She hadn't asked questions about them, she didn't expect that she would have been told very much about them even if she had, but the Monks seemed to be everywhere. They always seemed to be there whenever Korarian had payed her a visits, standing there in silence. She quite often saw them walking around the hanger through the very same window, usually in groups. They made a chill run up her spine whenever she saw them.

"He is not the devil," Manton called to his troops, his voice echoing loudly throughout the entire hanger, easily reaching even Amy's ears, "She is not a witch. They are not gods. They are not goblins, or phantoms or tricksters. The Doctor and the Hatter are a living, breathing man and woman, and as I look around this room I know one thing…" he paused, allowing his words to sink in as his voice grew darker, "We're sure as hell going to fix that".

Amy watched on in disgust as the soldiers below began to cheer, raising their fists into the air and cheering his words. She heard the door of the room slide open and light, cautious footsteps sound on the steps as they approached her, making her turn to find a young, brunet girl dressed in an army uniform eyeing her a little warily as she slowly approached her. She vaguely recalled the girl's name, Lorna. She seemed young, younger then even her.

"Sorry," Lorna said carefully, coming to a stop a good couple of steps from her, "I shouldn't be here. I'm meant to be at the thing…" she pointed over towards the window, but Amy continued to watch her, her expression blank. She looked down at a small, golden green piece of cloth in her hand, "I brought you something," she held it up for Amy to see, "Your child's name in the language of my people," Amy glanced at it curiously, noting that it looked almost like a leaf with golden stitching on both sides of the cloth of lettering that she didn't recognise as English, small beards had also been attached to the corners of the leaf. Lorna looked back up to Amy, smiling softly, "It's a prayer leaf and we believe, if you keep this with you, your child will always come home to you".

Amy looked back up to the woman's face, her expression still just a blank and emotionless as before. She could see the effort put into the prayer leaf, though it did confuse her just a bit as to why she would have made something like that in the first place, when she was working for the people who had taken her baby. It was…sweet, if confusing, but it didn't change how she felt. Not in the slightest.

"Can I barrow your gun?" she asked her suddenly.

Lorna blinked, looking taken aback, "Why?"

"Because I've got a feeling you're going to keep talking," she replied coldly, turning away from her to look back out the window. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lorna slowly start to turn away, "They're talking like they're famous," she muttered, making Lorna stop and looked back to her, "The Doctor and the Hatter aren't famous…"

"They meet a lot of people," she tried to explain, "Some of them…remember," she looked down briefly and a smile crossed her face, fiddling with the prayer leaf as she spoke, "The Hatter's kind of like a guardian, a…protector, and the Doctor's sort of like a…I don't know. A dark legend".

"Dark?" Amy repeated, scoffing at the mere idea. She had seen that man practically crying with laughter as he and the Hatter sat watching Disney movies, singing every song, word for word, together. She shook her head, "Have you _met_ him?"

"Yeah," she said, making her head snap around to look at her in surprise, "I meet them both. But I was just a little girl," she looked down, shaking her head.

She turned towards her, smiling faintly for the first time since Melody had been taken, "So was I".

Lorna blinked slightly and slowly nodded, "You've been with them a long time, then," she commented.

"No. They came back for me".

She swallowed, smiling softly, "You must be very special," she said quietly.

"Hey," Amy looked back to her, "You can wait a long time for the Doctor and the Hatter, but they're worth it, okay?" she said firmly, walking closer to her, "The thing is, they're coming. No question about it. Just make sure you're on the right side when they get here," she gave her a very serious look, "Not for my sake, for _yours_. The Hatter won't let the Doctor go too far, but even she has her limits and she can be just as angry and determined as him, when she needs to be," she held out her hand and Lorna placed the prayer leaf into her hand. Amy looked back up to her and smiled sincerely, "Thank you".

Lorna nodded to her and returned her smile, before turning and leaving the room. Amy looked back down the prayer leaf, clutching the piece of fabric tightly as she turned back to look out the window.

…

"On this day, in this place, the Doctor and the Hatter will fall," Manton continued speaking to his troops, earning more cheers from the crowd, "The man who talks, the woman who smiles, the man who reasons, the woman who calms, the man who lies, and the woman who tricks, will meet the perfect answer," more cheers sounded as Lorna quietly snuck into position amongst the rest of the soldiers, straightening her hat as she came to a breathless stop, "Some of you have wondered why have we allied ourselves with the Headless Monks," he went on as the crowd fell silent, listening intently, "Perhaps you should have wondered why we call them 'Headless'. It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith," the three Headless Monks on the stage stepped forward, "As you all know, it is a Level One Heresy, punishable by death, to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this one and only occasion, I can show you the truth," he stepped closer to the first Monk, "Because these guys never can be persuaded…" he reached up and pulled back the hood of the Monk, revealing a knotted, twisted stump of flesh where the head and neck ought to have been, "…persuaded!"

Gaps sounded throughout the crowd as many of the soldiers flinched back in horror and shock at the sight, staring back up at the Headless Monks.

He moved on to the second Monk, reaching up to its hood, "They never can be afraid…" he lowered the hood down, stepping across to the third Monk, "And they can never, ever be…" he reached for the third Monk's hood, when…

The third Monk suddenly whipped his hood back to reveal the Doctor standing there, grinning smugly at the gasps of shock that came from the crowd, "Surprise!" he cried, looking around at them all. Amy, watching from above, broke into a smile and jumped at the window, pressing herself against the glass, "Hello, everyone!" he laughed, clapping his hands as he calmly strolled past Manton and closer to the edge of the stage, "Guess who!" he held up his hands, "Please, point a gun at me if it helps you relax," all the soldiers, save for Lorna, aimed their weapons at him and the Monks drew their energised swords. He smiled slightly, completely relaxed, "You're only human".

Manton stepped forward, his own gun aimed directly at the Doctor's head, "Doctor…" he called loudly, making him turn to look at him, still looking completely unfazed, "You will come with me, right now".

The Doctor simply smiled and looked passed the gun to the man holding it, "My wife and I have a little bet running," he remarked, sounding as if they could have been talking about the weather, "She says that we can do this is four minutes ten seconds. I say three minutes forty seconds. Amelia Pond!" he suddenly shouted up at the ceiling, "Get your coat!" he pulled the hood back over his head, just as the lights went out, sending them completely into darkness.

The lights came back on almost as quickly as they had gone out, but the Doctor had completely disappeared, leaving everyone blinking and looking around in confusion.

"We're not phantoms," the Doctor's voice rang out throughout the hanger.

"Doctor?" Manton called, narrowing his eyes as he tried to find him amongst the crowd of Monks.

"We're certainly not Gods," another voice, the Hatter's, echoed throughout the room, and Amy could practically hear the eye roll in it.

Manton's eyes widened, seeming to grow even more alarmed, "Hatter?"

"We're not tricksters".

"Doctor?"

"We're Monks".

"Doctor, Hatter, show yourselves!"

"It's him!" one of the soldiers's suddenly shouted, aiming his gun at one of the Headless Monks, "He's here!" the other soldier's turned and aimed their own guns at the same Monk, some backing away slightly as the Monk's energised their swards in warning, "It's him!" the man insisted as all the soldiers and Monks started to turn on each other, glaring one another down.

A gun shot rang out and one of the Monks collapsed backwards onto the ground, causing fearful gasps to come from the soldiers as they began moving their guns around at the rest of the Monks.

"Weapons down!" Manton ordered sternly, trying to gain some order, "Do not fire!" suddenly, one of the Monk's shot out it's hand and fired off a red bolt of energy, hitting a nearby soldiers, killing the man almost instantly, "No!" he shouted, but it was too late. The soldiers began firing back at the Monks in their fear and panic, while the Monks retaliated, "Doctor!" he looked furiously around the room, trying to spot them amidst the chaos, "Hatter!" he moved closer to the edge of the stage, holding out his arms beside him in surrender, "Do not fire," he tried to tell his troops, "Nobody discharge your weapons in this room. Nobody!"

Lorna ignored the fighting going on around her, frowning as she heard a funny, high pitched whirring noise. She looked around until her eyes came to rest on where a figure dressed in a Monk's garb was standing by a door, flashing a long silver device at the doors lock. It wasn't hard to tell just who was beneath that robe.

"Do not fire!" Manton continued urgently on the stage, completely oblivious, "Stop, wait! Listen to me," he said very calmly, looking across to the Monks. Lorna turned and hurried across to the door, just as the figure disappeared through it, "I am disarming my weapons pack," he told the room, holding his gun up for everyone to see as he removed the pack from the gun, making it harmless, "Monks, I do this in good faith. I am now unarmed," he slowly and very deliberately placed the pack onto the floor, sliding it away from him as he straightened, his hands still held out in surrender. A low murmuring swept through the troops, staring up at him in alarm and panic, "All of you, discharge your weapon packs," he looked around at his troops, his voice still very calm, "The Doctor and the Hatter are trying to make fools of us. We are soldiers of God. We are not fools! We are not fools!"

"We are not fools!" one of the soldiers began chanting along with him, disarming his own weapon.

"We are not fools!"

"We are not fools!" another soldier joined in, and others started to follow suit, disarming their weapons as they chanted, "We are not fools!" the chanting continued as more and more joined in, "We are not fools! We are not fools! We are not fools…!"

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared on the stage beside Manton and the Hatter appeared, dressed like a Monk, save for her pink and black hat, and smiling pleasantly, "Oh, a chant, love a good chant," she remarked lightly, her eyes roaming over the soldiers that had stopped abruptly, staring up at her in shock. Manton even jumped slightly at her sudden arrival, "Though, it is a bit of a shame that your chant only ends up making you look even more foolish," she went on in the same carefree tone of voice, raising her eyebrows mockingly at Manton, "I mean, seriously? You find out that the Doctor and I are here, you so clearly know about us and what we are capable of, so you decide to disarm yourselves?" she scoffed, smirking as she cupped a hand around her ear, "Do I hear the words 'oops?'"

The sound of more teleports started going off all around the room, and the soldiers blinked in shock as they looked around to find themselves surrounded by Silurian's and Judoon's, some even standing above them on walkways that overlooked the hanger, their weapons aimed on the unarmed and defenceless soldiers. Manton's eyes widened, his breathing growing heavier and more panicked as he looked back to the smirking Time Lady.

"Sorry for crashing the party," she said to him teasingly, "Never could resist".

There was another flash of a teleport and Strax appeared on the other side of Manton, his gun trained on him, "This base is now under our commander," he informed the man.

"I have a fleet out there," Manton glared, turning to the Hatter, who calmly raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed, "If Demon's Run goes down, there's an automatic distress call".

The Hatter laughed, shaking her head, "Oh, you really don't know us at all, do you?" she said, and turned to look over to something on the other side of the hanger, close to the ceiling, "Sweetheart, care to do the honours?"

"My pleasure, dear," the Doctor's voice called out over the speaker's throughout the room, making everyone follow the Time Lady's gaze to see her looking at where he was standing on a raised platform on the other side of the room, a comm. device in his hand. He gave them a cheerful little wave, which the Hatter happily returned, "What's the point of a distress call if we knock out the communications array before you can get a message out?" he grinned, pointing to Manton with his free hand, the other hand holding the comm. to his mouth, "And you've got incoming!"

"Danny Boy to the Doctor and Hatter," a pilot's voice called out over the speakers, "Danny Boy to the Doctor and Hatter".

"Give 'em hell, Danny Boy!" he ordered him, grinning as he held out his arms and made a whooshing noise as he pretended to be a plane, firing at the base.

The base shook slightly and loud bangs of explosions going off sounded throughout the room, making many of the troops and Manton look around in alarm. The Hatter laughed and cheered, tossing the Monk's robe off her, revealing her proper clothing, much to her relief as that robe had been rather itchy and heavy.

A moment passed before, "Target destroyed!"

"Yes!" the Hatter cheered, punching the air as the Doctor laughed, delighted.

Manton closed his eyes and ducked his head, seeming to realise that they had lost, "Don't slump," Strax scolded him, not lowering his weapon, "It's bad for your spine".

….

The Doctor and the Hatter sat in two chairs inside the main control room of the base, holding each other's hands as they looked over the control panel and down through the window that showed the hanger below, the rest of the troops being taken care of by the rest of their little helpers. Vastra and Jenny, with Dorium, stood on either side of the Time Lords as they watched Strax escorting Manton into the room at gunpoint.

"All airlocks sealed," Strax informed them as he entered the room, "Resistance neutralised".

The Doctor spun his chair around to face the Hatter, who swivelled her own chair to face him, "Looks like I won our little bet, dear," he smiled broadly at her, looking quite smug, "Three minutes, forty two seconds".

The Time Lady sighed, nodding reluctantly, "Well, I do like to try and have a little bit of wiggle room," she said, raising an eyebrow at him, "I suppose this means I have to go on that blasted fishing trip with you now".

"Fishing's fun!"

"Yes, if you enjoy watching paint dry".

He mock gasped, pretending to be offended as he clutched dramatically at his chest, "You take that back, right now!" he demanded.

She simply smiled at him, leaning over to lightly kiss his cheek, "Not a chance, sweetheart".

"I'll deal with you later," he warned, pointing a finger at her.

"Looking forward to it," she winked, leaning back in her chair with a teasing grin. He returned her smile and playfully used the tip of his shoe to nudge her own bright yellow shoes, before they both turned to face the rest of the room. It was as if all of their banter and lightness vanished the moment they laid eyes on Manton, their expression growing very serious.

Strax looked back to Manton, "Colonel Manton, you will give the order for your men to withdraw," he ordered him.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, holding up his hands, making the others look at him curiously, all save for the Hatter, who was looking coldly at the man, "Colonel Manton, we want you to tell your men to run away".

Manton blinked, "You what?" he asked, confused.

"You heard perfectly well," the Hatter said with a note of steel entering her voice, her expression unchanging, "Those are the words that you will say, exactly to the _letter_. You will tell your men to run away".

"We want _you_ to be famous for those exact words," the Doctor continued just as coldly, pointing at Manton, "We want people to call you Colonel Run Away. We want children _laughing_ outside your door, because they've found the house of Colonel Run Away…" he stood and pointed his finger angrily at the man, advancing on him, his voice filling with barely suppressed anger, "And, when people come to you, and ask if trying to get to me and my wife through the people we _love_!" he shouted furiously, making Vastra hiss warningly, throwing the Time Lady a quick look. The Hatter slowly rose and took a step forward, placing a hand on the Doctor's back. He stopped, forcing himself to take a breath, not breaking eye contact with Manton as he went on in a slightly softer voice, "Is in any way a good idea, we want you to tell them your name".

"Doctor," the Hatter said quietly, rubbing his back soothingly. He looked back to her, meeting her eyes, "Calm yourself. Rage will only make fools of us all".

He licked his lips and reached down to take her hand, her touch the only thing keeping himself from allowing his anger to consume him, the outrage and fury that he felt for these people daring to try and take one of their friends away from them in order to get to them. He looked back to Manton's fearful face, forcing himself to stay calm, "You're lucky," he told him, very seriously, "I dread to imagine what would happen if I didn't have my calm and collected wife here to be able to remind me to be better, or if she herself wasn't as good at keeping her own anger in check".

"The anger of a good man and woman is not a problem," Kovarian spoke from the doorway of the room, two Silurian's guarding her, "Good men and woman have too many rules".

The Doctor looked over to her as the Hatter scoffed loudly, crossing her arms across her chest to glare at the eye patch waring woman. The Doctor let go of her hand and carefully moved to stand in front of the brunet, not trusting Kovarian to be anywhere near the Hatter, especially after it was very clear that she didn't mind kidnapping pregnant women, "Good men and woman don't need rules," he said calmly, stepping closer to her, his expression growing darker, "Today is not the day to find out why the Hatter and I have _so_ many".

Kovarian glared at him, before looking passed him to Manton, "Give the order," she said after a moment. The Doctor and the Hatter blinked, surprised, but the Time Lady couldn't help herself from frowning just slightly, feeling like something was missing. It felt…easy, all of it just felt so easy. Perhaps, a little too easy, "Give the order, Colonel Run Away," she ordered the man.

The Doctor smiled faintly and turned back to take the Hatter's hand, not seeming to notice her slightly troubled expression. They had two very important people left for them to see yet.

….

Amy gasped and whirled around as a loud knocking sounded on the nursery's door. She looked around widely for a weapon, for anything that she might be able to protect herself, running over to a metal table that had medical equipment that she didn't recognise laid out across it, trying to find one that looked heavy or the slightest bit threatening.

"Who's that?" she shouted, still scrambling around, "Who's there?" she grabbed a long, white thing that she couldn't even begin to try and figure out what it was, holding it up warningly towards the door, "You watch it, because I'm armed and really dangerous, and…cross!"

"Yeah," Rory's voice came through the door, sounding like he was rolling his eyes, "Like I don't know that".

"Rory?" she breathed hopefully, lowering her weapon, "Rory, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me…" he called back, the sound of the sonic screwdriver whirring sounding through the door, clearly trying to unlock the door, "Look, hang on a minute".

"They took her. Rory, they took our baby away".

The door slide open and Rory stepped through the doorway, dressed like a Roman and holding a baby, their daughter, bundled up in blankets in his arms. He smiled broadly at her, "Now, Mrs Williams…" Amy stared up at him, her eyes widening, "That is never, _ever_ going to happen".

"Oh, my God," she didn't take her eyes off either Rory or her baby as he walked down the stairs towards her, "Oh, my God…" he finally reached her and she immediately began to check her daughter, "Where's she been?" she asked urgently, her entire focus on insuring that her baby was okay, "What have they done to her?"

"She's fine," Rory reassured her, smiling as he looked down at his daughter's rounded face, a light smattering of pale hair covering her head, "Amy, she's fine. I checked. She's beautiful," he sniffed, looking up tearfully as Amy kissed the baby's head, "Oh God, I was going to be cool," he said in a shaky, chocked voice, struggling not to burst into tears, "I wanted to be cool. Look at me".

"You're okay," she laughed slightly, looking up to his face, "Crying Roman with a baby. Definitely cool. Come here, you," she pulled him in for a deep kiss.

"Ugh," the Doctor's voice sounded through the room, grimacing at the sight, "Kissing and crying…we'll…we'll be back in a bit…"

"Doctor," the Hatter rolled her eyes, tightening her grip on his arm as he moved to try and leave, preventing him from walking out.

Rory broke away from the kiss, his eyes filled with tears as he looked up to the Time Lords, "Oi, you two!" he called up to them, his voice stern, even through the tears, "Get in here, now".

The Time Lady grinned, "No need to tell me twice," she pulled the Doctor along with her as they hurried down the stairs towards the couple, their eyes going straight to the little bundle in Rory's arms, delighted by the sight.

"My daughter," he moved so that they could both see the baby. The Hatter's face softened as she reached out to take the baby's tiny hand, watching as the baby's fingers wrapped around her finger tip as she looked curiously up at the Time Lady. The Doctor looked back over to Amy and pointed at the baby with a wide smile, making the red head laugh slightly. Rory looked back up to the Time Lords, looking very proud, "What do you think?"

"I think she's simply gorgeous," the Hatter told them, glancing up at the very happy and clearly proud parents, "Aren't you, sweetie?" she cooed back down at the baby, her finger still firmly in her grasp, "It's a delight to finally meet you, little one. You've already proved to be a little trouble maker," she grinned, leaning closer towards the baby, lowering her voice to a mock whisper, "But all the best people are".

The Doctor leaned closer as the Hatter straightened, "Hello," he smiled down at the baby, reaching out to gently touch the back of the baby's hand that still clutched on to the Hatter's finger, "Hello, baby," he glanced up at Amy.

"Melody," Amy informed them, realising that they didn't know, not even Rory, who blinked and looked up at her.

"Melody?" the Hatter repeated, smiling at Amy, "Funny, my birth name was the Gallifreyan form of Melody," she remarked, looking back down to baby Melody.

"Your birth name?" Rory said curiously.

"Hmm, Time Lords are all given names from birth, but it's not our _true_ names. Those come later, when we're older and first look into the Untempered Schism. That is the name that we keep secret from all but the most important and significant in our lives, and even then it's still something to be wary of sharing with another".

"I think Melody's a brilliant name," the Doctor said brightly, looking at the Hatter, who glanced back to him with an eyebrow raised. He looked back to the baby Melody, "Hello, Melody Pond," he greeted her with a nod, speaking to her as if she could understand what he was saying.

Rory sighed slightly, giving him a pointed look, "Melody Williams," he corrected him.

"…is a geography teacher," Amy cut in, giving her husband a look, "Melody Hattie _Pond_ is a superhero!"

The Hatter smiled, before she blinked, "Hang on…Hattie?" she repeated, her head snapping up to look at Amy in shock.

"Well, I couldn't exactly call her 'Hatter,'" she shrugged, smiling broadly at the Time Lady.

"You named your daughter….after _me_?"

"Of course I did," she rolled her eyes at her, as if she was being an idiot. She even reached over to lightly nudge the Hatter's shoulder, "Why wouldn't I?"

The Hatter opened and closed her mouth for a moment, completely speechless that anyone would name their child after her. She was terribly honoured, of course, but also very stunned. She would never have expected something like this, not ever.

The Doctor laughed slightly, patting the Time Lady's back, "Well done, Amy, you've rendered her speechless," he said to Amy, who joined in with his laughter, just when Melody gargled. He looked down to her, nodding thoughtfully as he listened, "Well yes, I suppose she does smell nice," he glanced back over to Amy, "Never really sniffed her. Maybe I should give it a go. Amelia Pond, come here!" he turned and threw his arms around Amy, hugging her tightly.

"Doctor!" Amy laughed, a little surprised by the hug.

The Hatter, over her shock, smiled broadly at the sight, "I'm sorry that it took us so long to find you," she told her, her smile dimming slightly, though it did brighten slightly as she noticed the Doctor sniff Amy curiously.

"It's okay," she assured them, wiping a stray tear that had been trickling down her face as the Doctor released her, "I knew you were coming," she looked at the three of them, smiling, "All of you, my boys and girl".

Melody gave a cooing squeal.

"It's okay," the Doctor looked back to her, "She's still all yours. And really, you should call her mummy, not 'Big Milk Thing,'" he shook his head.

"Okay, what are you doing?" Amy frowned, eyeing him strangely.

He shrugged, "I speak baby".

"No, you don't".

"I speak everything," he replied, turning back to Melody as the Hatter smiled, "Don't I, Melody Pond?" he said to her, smiling as she made another gargling noise at him and seemed almost to be frowning, "No, it's not," he reached up and straightened his bow tie, "It's cool".

Amy sighed, looking at the Hatter, "Hatter?"

"It's true," the Hatter told her, looking amused as she shot the Doctor another look, "Languages was the only thing he ever put any effort into at school, which reminds me," she frowned slightly thoughtfully, her hand resting on her stomach, "You'll have to teach me how to speak baby before long".

The Doctor grinned, delighted at the prospect of teaching the Hatter something, usually it was the other way around, "I look forward to it, dear," he said happily, kissing her cheek.

"Doctor, Hatter!" Vastra's voice called through the room, making them all look up as Vastra came to stand at the railing overlooking the room, "Take a look. They're leaving," the Time Lords walked over to the window, looking down into the hanger to see the troops marching away with their arms behind their heads and the Headless Monks following close behind. Vastra smiled victoriously down to the Time Lords, "Demon's Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled. My friends, you have never risen higher!"

Rory's head snapped up, looking sharply over to the Time Lords, recalling River's words.

The Hatter couldn't help frowning as she stared out the window, the Doctor taking her hand. There was that feeling again, the feeling that things had been too easy. Oh, she hated that feeling, so very much.

 _ **And I've finally finished this chapter, it took me a lot longer than I expected, though I have been quite busy lately and my Nan died, which was sort of expected. She suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and her health just declined from there, so when it happened we had been expecting it.**_

 _ **Anyway, onto something a bit brighter, I have loved the recent season of Doctor Who, it has been so good and I can't wait to find out what it in the Vault. Missy? Hmm, I don't know, that's kind of what I'm leaning towards thinking is in there, but with that show you can never be sure.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Doctor and the Hatter are confused, some hard truths are told to our Time Lords, and massive blushing alert. I hope you liked the chapter, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **I have loved season ten so far, my favourite episode has probably been 'Thin Ice,' I'm a bit of a sucker for period settings. Bill is the first companion in a very long time that I've watched their introducing episode and just liked them straight away, usually it takes me another episode or two before I warm up to them, it even took me a whole season before I started to like Clara. I blame the Ponds for that, though. But Bill is brilliant, I love how ordinary and normal she seems, asking questions that just seem so random and the way that she looks at the things is refreshing, like the TARDIS console as being a kitchen. I never, ever would have thought of the console like that, but I can see it now.**_

 _ **I just love her character and I can't wait to be able to write her, hopefully one day soon, and I'm very curious to see what connection the Doctor has with her mum. I also think it's refreshing that we have a female companion that has no romantic feelings, at all, towards the Doctor, and nor will she end up developing any in the future for him, if he does end up regenerating into a younger looking man…though, if he ends up turning into a woman, that might just change…**_

 _ **Anyway, I'll stop there before I end up rambling on anymore, in case you can't tell I'm very excited about Bill and season ten, so I'll just finish this off here. Thank you for asking, though, I don't get much of a chance to ramble about Doctor Who nearly as much as I would like, so thank you for giving me a good excuse to do so :)**_


	17. Chapter17 A Good Man Goes To War, Part 2

_**A Good Man Goes To War, Part 2**_

Amy walked out of the TARDIS and into the hanger that it had been parked in, cradling Melody against her chest as the baby cried loudly, trying to comfort and sooth her. Rory looked up at the sound of the baby crying and looked concerned as Amy reached him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her, eyeing the crying baby.

"She doesn't like the TARDIS noise," Amy sighed, shaking her head as he put a hand on her back and guided her further away from the time machine, "I asked the Doctor to turn it off, but it was all, 'But I don't want to punch a hole in the space-time continuum,'" she tried to gently pat Melody's back as the crying continued, glancing at Rory, "The Hatter suggested that it might be best if I came out here. Shush," she tried hushing Melody.

"Rory!" Jenny called, walking over to the couple with Strax close behind her, drawing their attention over to them, "The Judoon have escorted the Clerics out of the quadrant," she informed them, "Spitfires have returned to their own time. Captain Avery and his men are going…" she trailed off, frowning worriedly as she noticed Melody crying, "Is she all right?" she asked, nodding to the child.

"Yes, she's just crying," Amy replied, gently rocking her.

"Give her to me, human fool," Strax demanded, holding out his arms to take the baby, "She needs changing".

She gave him a slightly odd look, not quite feeling comfortable to let Melody out of her sight, not for a moment, and not with someone that she barely knew. Even if the Doctor and the Hatter had vouched for them all, "I just changed her," she said, glancing at Rory, "I think she might need a feed".

"A feed, of course," he nodded, and stepped forward, "I'll take care of everything".

"Er…" Rory frowned, moving to stand in front of Amy and Melody, eyeing the alien that was supposed to be a member of one of the Universes most war obsessed races, "I really don't think you will, actually".

Strax looked quite offended, staring up at him, "I have gene spliced myself for all nursing duties," he told him, clearly very, very serious, "I can produce magnificent quantities of lactic fluid".

"While I'm sure that Amy and Rory are very grateful for the offer, Strax," the Hatter called as she strolled out of the TARDIS with a little teddy bear in her hands, looking highly amused at the relieved expression that crossed Amy's face at the sight of the Time Lady intervening. She walked over to them, coming to stop beside Amy, "I'm afraid that your services in that department won't be necessary," she gave the alien a small smile, glancing at Amy and Melody, "Little Melody is simply tired".

Amy blinked, looking a little surprised at her, "I didn't think you knew how to speak baby?" she commented. It couldn't be possible for someone to learn a language within five minutes…or was it just a Time Lord thing?

"Indeed," she nodded, still smiling, "I, however, raised four children from infants and only used a nanny when I had to work, so I can tell the difference between a hungry cry and a tired one".

The Doctor stepped out of the time machine, carrying an old, wooden cot, so old that even the paint had faded, leaving the wood a purplish, green colour. The cot had circle engravings running along the outside the walls of the cot that Amy recognised as being Gallifreyan, though she couldn't understand what the writing was supposed to say, but there was still gold paint on the engraving that made the writing even more obvious. There was even a mobile that dangled over the top of the cot, which had what appeared to be little gold and silver stars and moons attached to separate strings.

"Sorry, Melody," he sighed as he walked over to them, moving to place the cot on a table a short distance from them. He shook his head as the Hatter placed the teddy bear at the bottom of the blue silk lined cot, smiling softly, "They're just not listening," he moved the mobile out of the way.

"What's this?" Amy said curiously, moving closer to take a look at the cot.

Melody gargled happily, thankfully no longer crying.

"Very pretty, according to your daughter," the Doctor grinned, leaning over to wiggle his fingers at Melody, before turning back to look down at the cot.

Rory eyed the cot, frowning slightly, "It's a…it's a cot".

He rolled his eyes slightly and looked up to the Hatter, who laughed slightly and pattered Rory's arm, "No flies on the Roman," he remarked, glancing at Rory.

"Yes, thank you, Sherlock Holmes," the Hatter smiled, shaking her head. She looked eagerly to Amy and held out her hands. She had been struggling to resist asking to hold Melody since they had first meet Amy in the nursery, she couldn't hold herself back any longer, "May I?"

Amy smiled and gently handed Melody into the Time Lady's waiting arms, "Here we go," she said, watching to the brunet carefully, though she had no reason to. The Hatter held her perfectly, easily supporting her head and even tucking her blanket more securely around Melody with one hand.

The Time Lady gently rocked Melody side to side, leaning down to gently lightly kiss her forehead, "You know, pretty soon you'll have a little playmate," she said to Melody, knowing that she would understand, even if she couldn't, "But until then, you'll just have to make do with your new teddy," she leaned over the cot and placed her onto the soft fabric within, tucking her little hand back inside her blanket as she straightened.

"But where did you get a cot like that?" Rory questioned, still eyeing the cot. He had seen the nursery that the Time Lords had set up for their own child; he hadn't seen that cot in there.

"It's old," Amy looked closely at the aged wood, the way that the paint had clearly long since faded. She lightly reached out and ran her fingers over the smooth wood, " _Really_ old," she glanced at the Hatter, "Was this your children's?"

"Goodness, no," the Hatter shook her head, smiling a little sadly, "My children's cots are long since gone. Besides, they were a bit more elaborate than this," she reached over and took the Doctor's hand.

She frowned, still quite curious about just where the cot had come from. It was far too old for it to be meant for the Hatter's child, and she knew that the Doctor and the Hatter hadn't had any children together in past, well, save for a grown daughter that had been born from a machine, so if it wasn't one of the Hatter's past children's cot, then that left the Doctor. She focused her attention onto him, "Doctor, er…" she began slowly, making him look up from where he had been watching Melody, "Do you have any other children?"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment before looking back down at Melody, swallowing painfully. The Hatter squeezed his hand comfortingly, "No," he said after a moment of silence, not looking at them.

"Have you ever had children?"

"Amy," the Hatter said quietly, giving her a warning look. She could understand her curiosity, but she hated how much she knew it hurt the Doctor to speak about his family. He rarely ever did, even with her, and she never pushed him to speak of them unless he did first. They would speak of Susan, but his son and daughter were simply too painful for him. She didn't blame him, not in the slightest because while she took comfort in thinking and speaking about her own children, that wasn't the way that he dealt with his grief. He tended to try to push it all away and not think about it.

The Doctor pretended not to hear Amy, still looking down at Melody as the baby gargled and cooed up at them, having managed to free her arm from her blankets, waving it around at them, "No, it's real," he told the baby, reaching up with the hand that wasn't holding the Hatter's and touching the back of his head, "It's my hair".

"I don't blame you for being confused, though," the Time Lady smiled down at the baby, reaching into the cot to tuck her hand back into her blanket, not that she really expected it to stay covered for much longer. Her children had been the same at that age, wiggling around and constantly getting themselves out of their blankets.

Amy still wasn't ready to give up, eyeing the Doctor closely. If the Hatter didn't want her to keep going down that line of questioning, that had to mean that she was getting close to the answer, "Doctor, who slept in here?" she asked, gesturing to the cot.

"Doctor!" Vastra's voice came over the loud speaker, making them look up, "Hatter! We need you both in the control room".

"Be there in a tick!" the Hatter called up at the ceiling, knowing that she would be able to hear them over the cameras.

The Doctor turned to face Amy and Rory, clapping his hands before taking the brunet's hand once more, "Things to do…" he said to them, inwardly very grateful to be able to escape any more questions about the cot, "We've still got to work out what this base is for," he spun on his heel and began to walk off with the Time Lady, pointing a firm finger at them, "We can't leave till we know".

Amy moved around the cot and took a few steps after them, "Ah, but this is where I was?" she asked them, making them both stop and turn back to look at her. She frowned slightly, "The whole time I thought I was on the TARDIS, I was really _here_?"

"Oh, Amy," the Hatter said softly, seeing the trouble expression crossing her face, how upset she was starting to grow. She let go of the Doctor's hand and moved to throw her arms around Amy, hugging her tightly, "I know that it must be awfully confusing," she sighed, patting her back, "I really, truly do and I so wish that I could help. You _were_ on the TARDIS, your heart and soul and mind were there, but…" she pulled back, nodding sadly as she meet her eyes, "Yes, physically, your body was still here".

She nodded, "And when I saw that face looking through the hatch, that women looking at me…"

"Reality bleeding through," the Doctor remarked, stepping back over to them, placing a comforting on Amy's shoulder. His expression grew slightly grim, glancing at the Time Lady, "They must have taken you quite a while back. Just before America".

"Or during," the Time Lady cut in, shrugging, "Going by my own calculations, anyway".

"So her Flesh avatar was with us all that time," Rory said slowly, following along, "But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the TARDIS wherever we were, in time _and_ space".

"Yeah, they're very cleaver," the Doctor agreed, leaning back over the cot to wiggling his fingers down at Melody's face.

"Who are?" Amy frowned at him, her eyes moving back and forth between the Time Lords.

"Whoever wants our baby," Rory told her, looking back down to Melody.

She shook her head, not taking her eyes off the Time Lords, "But _why_ do they want her?"

"And that's the question, isn't it?" the Hatter sighed heavily, looking troubled by the idea. She reached down into the cot and took Melody's little hand, which had escaped, yet again, from its blankets. She didn't bother trying to tuck it away, this time.

"Is there anything you're not telling us?" Rory questioned, eyeing them both carefully, "You both knew Amy wasn't real. Neither of you said".

"We had to be careful," the brunet tried to explain, guilt crossing her face, "We didn't know if they could hear us, so we needed to be careful about how much we gave away, until we knew for sure".

"But you always hold out on us," Amy frowned deeply, narrowing her eyes on them, "Even you, Hatter, you keep us in the dark about things when you don't want to worry us. Please, not this time," she practically begged, focusing on the Time Lady, knowing that out of the two of them, the Hatter would be the easiest to get talking, "Please, Hatter, it's our _baby_ ," she gestured down to the cot. The Hatter winced and ducked her head, "Just tell us something, one little thing. You're a _mother_ ; you have to understand what I'm going through right now".

"Of course I understand," the Hatter closed her eyes tightly, swallowing her hard, keeping her head ducked. If she looked at Amy, she would crack completely, she knew it. Playing the mother card was one of her greatest weaknesses and Amy knew that very well, "A mother would do anything for her child, no matter what the cost to herself, I sympathise entirely with you, but…"

"It's mine," the Doctor said suddenly, cutting off the Hatter before she could say much more. He took her hand as her head snapped up to look at him in surprise and relief. He gave her a small smile.

Rory looked confused, "What is?"

"The cot," he replied, pointing to the cot, "It's my cot. I slept in there".

The Hatter cleared her throat, pleased with the change of topic, "The Doctor was born off world," she explained to Amy and Rory, who both looked rather surprised, "His father built the cot and when he and his mother returned to Gallifrey, they kept it as a sentimental keepsake".

"Hence the shabbiness," the Doctor commented, waving his free hand at the cot, which was a little shabby looking. The stars and moons dangling on the mobile were even a little misshaped, clearly made by hard and by someone who wasn't overly skilled at woodcarving.

"I think it's lovely," the Time Lady said firmly, smiling widely at him, "A little dash of paint and it will look very handsome, indeed".

"Oh, my God," Amy exclaimed in delight, making the Time Lords look back to see her eyeing the mobile, "It's the Doctor's first stars".

The Hatter laughed, glancing at the Doctor, who looked a little embarrassed, "We probably should go and see Vastra," she said, deciding to take pity on him, for once.

"Oh, please," the Doctor nodded eagerly, really not wishing to enter into a discussion about him as a baby. He imagined that the Hatter would probably enjoy teasing him quite a bit.

"See you late," she wiggled her fingers at Amy and Rory as the Time Lords turned, heading off for the control room.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter walked into the control room to find Dorium sitting at the control panel, fiddling with the monitor, while Vastra stood behind him, watching him work.

"Oh, good," the Hatter said at the sight, though she did feel a tad disappointed that she hadn't had the chance to do a bit of tinkering with the computer system herself, "You've managed to hack into their software, then?"

"I believe I sold it to them," Dorium remarked, not looking at them as they came to stand behind his chair.

"Ooh," the Doctor looked at the screen, curious to see what they had found, "So what have we learned?"

"That anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake," Vastra told them with a frown, making the Time Lords look back over to her.

The Hatter blinked, rather surprised to have her own words thrown back at her, and at a time like this, "Excuse me?" she asked, confused. She glanced at the Doctor, but he simply shrugged and looked back to Vastra, apparently just as clueless as her. That was comforting.

"The words of an old friend who once found me in the London Underground, attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers".

She nodded slowly, recalling the day very well, "Yes, I do remember," she admitted, eyeing her, still quite confused, "You were…very angry and upset, though that's probably putting it mildly".

"As you were both today, old friends," she agreed, looking at them both very seriously. The Time Lady shifted a little uncomfortably, regretting allowing her anger to get the better of her, even if she might have had more control over herself then the Doctor might have had, "Point taken, I hope," she looked back and forth between them, focusing mainly on the Doctor, who nodded a little ashamed of himself, too. Vastra seemed satisfied by their reaction, continuing, "Now, I have a question. A simple one. Is Melody human?"

"What?" the Hatter exclaimed, startled by the mere suggestion. How could Melody be anything but _human_? Both her parents were human, it was impossible for her to _not_ be human.

"Of course she is!" the Doctor scoffed at Vastra, rolling his eyes at her, "Completely human," he frowned at her, "What are you talking about?" he demanded, very confused.

"They've been scanning her since she was born," Dorium informed them, bringing up a scan of Melody's DNA onto the monitor screen for them to see, "And I think they found what they were looking for".

"Human DNA," he said dismissively, still not understanding what they were going on about.

The Hatter walked closer to the screen, staring at it, when her eyes widened, "Hang on…" she breathed, her head snapping back around to look at Vastra, "That's not…" she trailed off, stunned.

"Yes, exactly," Vastra nodded to her, seeing that she had caught on, "Human plus," she glanced at the Doctor, who had moved to the Time Lady's side, frowning up at the screen, "Specifically…human _plus_ Time Lord".

"It's not possible," the Hatter breathed, unable to take her eyes off the screen, "And yet…it's right there…" she waved a hand up at the screen, unable to deny what was right before her very eyes. That was definitely Time Lord DNA, without a doubt.

"But she's human," the Doctor insisted, shaking his head as he looked quickly to the Hatter, "She's Amy and Rory's daughter".

"The evidence speaks for itself, sweetheart," she sighed, taking his hand, her mind whirling so fast that it was impossible for her to focus on one thought at a time, trying to figure out how this could be the slightest bit possible, "She has Time Lord DNA in her cells, somehow, regardless of how impossible it might be".

"You two told me about your people," Vastra reminded them, eyeing them closely, "They became what they did through prolonged exposure in the Time Vortex. The Untempered Schism…"

"Over _billions_ of years!" the Doctor argued, shaking his head again, "It didn't just happen".

"So how close is she? Could she even regenerate?"

"No, no!" he said at once, dismissing the idea.

Vastra looked to the Hatter, who was frowning thoughtfully, "Hatter?"

"I…" the Hatter began, only to stop and shake her head, "I don't know," she swallowed, reaching up to take her hat off her head, fiddling with the brim of it, "There's never been a documented case like this, it ought to be impossible".

"Well, obviously it is _very_ possible," she commented, giving them both a very pointed look.

The Doctor looked at the Hatter, feeling complete lost, and if the Hatter couldn't explain it, that really did say quite a lot about the situation, in his eyes, "I don't understand how this happened…" he admitted, frowning deeply.

Vastra looked between them, "Which leads me to ask _when_ did it happen?" she questioned, giving them both a very pointed look.

"When?" he repeated, giving her a confused look.

The Hatter blinked; before realisation crossed her face and she blushed, catching on, "Oh, I see…" she trailed off, shifting awkwardly.

Vastra sighed, realising that the Doctor didn't have a clue, "I am trying to be delicate," she said to them, knowing perfectly well that both Time Lords could be a little sensitive about this sort of thing when it involved other people, or discussing it so openly, "I know how you can both blush," Dorium laughed as the Doctor pulled a face and the Hatter cleared her throat, "When did this baby…begin?"

The Doctor blinked slowly, glancing at the Hatter, his eyes moving to rest on her stomach, "Oh, you mean…" his head snapped back up to Vastra, growing very uncomfortable.

"Quite".

"Well, that's not something that we talk about with _them_ ," the Hatter shifted, clutching onto her hat a little too tightly, wishing that she could be anywhere but here, discussing _this_. She was a Time Lady, they didn't discuss that sort of thing so openly, it was private. She might tease the Doctor, but she would never, ever speak about such a thing to _anyone_ , "It's not like I sit around chatting to Amy about…" she opened and closed her mouth, waving a hand around, blushing bright red, "Well, you know… _private stuff_!"

"Exactly!" the Doctor nodded and pointed to the Time Lady, swallowing nervously, just as uncomfortable with the line of conversation, "That's all human-y, private stuff. It just sort of…goes on. They don't put up a balloon, or anything," he turned and began walking off down the hallway, just wanting to get away from all this…talk. Time Lords didn't discuss this sort of thing, certainly not with anyone else but their partner and even then it was awkward.

Vastra looked to the Hatter, hoping to try and get a bit more of a logical sense out of her, though it seemed like a lost cause with how red she looked and how she kept avoiding everyone's eyes, like some embarrassed teenager and not a married, _pregnant_ woman, "Could this child have begun on the TARDIS in flight, in the Vortex?" she suggested to her.

"No, no, impossible!" he called before the Time Lady even had a chance to try and speak, walking back to them, "It's all running about, sexy fish vampires…" he looked quickly to the Hatter, "Not that any of them came close to matching you, dear".

The Hatter reached up to pat his arm, "Whatever you say, sweetheart," she said with an eye roll, really not caring, not now. There was more important things to worry about now, "You know, Rory didn't even travel with us at the beginning," she remarked to the Doctor.

He nodded thoughtful, "Yes, and then he was dead, then he didn't exist, then he was plastic…"

"It's was a very complicated time," she told Vastra, who was looking a little confused.

He went on, smiling faintly, "And then we had to reboot the whole Universe. Long story".

"Like I said, complicated," the brunet sighed, and shrugged, "In fact, the only time that Rory was actually, properly, on the TARDIS with Amy in this version of reality was…" she trailed off, her eyes widening in horror, "Oh, my…"

"Yes, it was on their w…." he stopped just as suddenly, catching on. He looked quickly to the Hatter, who swallowed and nodded in confirmation.

Vastra frowned worriedly, eyeing them closely, "On their what?" she asked slowly.

He gulped, "On their _wedding night_ ," he finished weakly. He reached up and ran a hand down his face, shaking his head, "It doesn't make sense," he frowned, looking back up to the Hatter, "You can't just _cook_ yourself a Time Lord!"

"Of course not," Vastra agreed, watching them closely as the Doctor wrapped his arms around the Hatter, who was rubbing her forehead, as if she had a headache, "But you gave them one hell of a start, and they've been working very hard ever since".

Dorium stood from his chair, stepping closer to them, "And yet they gave in so easily," he frowned warily, glancing around at them, "Does this not bother anyone else?"

The Hatter inclined her head towards Dorium, but her mind was already off on another thought, "Amy," she breathed, looking quickly to the Doctor, "Remember how she confided in us about her fear that a child she might have would have a time head?" she closed her eyes tightly, feeling guilt sweep over her, "I never thought anything of it, how could I not have considered the possibility…"

"It's not your fault," the Doctor told her firmly, turning her around to look in her eyes, "Neither of us could have possibly have known".

Vastra sighed, shaking her head, "You both ignored the instincts of a mother".

"Or the instincts of a coward," Dorium muttered nervously, "This is too easy. There's something _wrong_ ".

"Yes, there is something off," the Hatter agreed, glancing at Dorium, but they didn't have time and she was finding it hard to focus on anything but little Melody right now.

"Why even do it?" the Doctor wondered aloud, shaking his head as he looked back to the Hatter, who could only shrug, "Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?"

"A weapon?" Vastra guessed.

"A weapon?" the Time Lady repeated, startled and alarmed by the idea, "What does that even mean?" she breathed, shaking her head, "How could a Time Lord be a weapon?"

"Well…" she glanced at Dorium, exchanging a quick look with him before turning back to the Time Lords, sighing heavily, "They've seen you two".

The Doctor blinked, staring at her as the Hatter took a small step back, looking as if someone had slapped her, "Us?" he said softly, holding the Hatter closer to him, both feeling quite weak by the suggestion. They moved to sit back down on the chairs at the control panel, stunned.

"Mr Maldovar, you're right," Vastra turned to Dorium, "This _was_ too easy. We should get back to the others," she cast the Doctor and the Hatter a quick look before walking out of the room, the man following behind her.

The Doctor looked back across to the Hatter, his eyes wide and his face pale, "Us?" he breathed, staring back at her.

"I know," the Hatter nodded weakly, swallowing hard, trying to get rid of the horribly guilty feeling that was crashing over her, "I suppose…from their view point, that must be how we seem," she said slowly, trying to think about it from their view, but it was hard. She couldn't imagine a child ever being thought of as being a weapon, not even one with Time Lord DNA. It was simply to horrific to think of, made even worse by the knowledge that it was because of her and the Doctor. What had they _done_?

He closed his eyes tightly, ducking his head, "America…" he said quietly, making her look back to him, "The spacesuit that had been climbed out of by the little girl…"

Her face turned completely white and her eyes widened, the horrific realisation of what he was thinking popping into her mind, "No…" she gasped, shaking her head, not wanting to believe it but once again the evidence was all pointing to that direction, "Oh, please, _no_ ".

"I see you accessed our files," a voice called from behind them, and they both jumped and spun their chairs around to find Kovarian smirking back at them from the computer screen, "Do you understand yet?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at they stared back at her, startled, "Oh, don't worry, I'm a long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you two. The child, then….what do you think?"

The Hatter narrowed her eyes at her, "Why is she so important to _you_?" she demanded, growing angry at the thought of what experiments they could have performed on little Melody, "What did you do to her?"

"Hope," she replied, glaring back at them, "Hope in this endless, bitter war".

"What war?" the Doctor frowned, glancing at the Time Lady, "Against who?"

"Against _you_ , Doctor, Hatter".

He slammed his hand furiously on the control panel, "A child is not a weapon!" he shouted at the screen.

"Oh, give us time. She _can_ be. She _will_ be. And if that fails…" her eyes moved to rest on the Hatter, a wicked smile crossing her face, "Well, there's always something better, just imagine what we could do with a full-blooded Time Lord".

The Hatter wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach as the Doctor pulled her closer to him, "You will never touch my child," she said in a deadly calm voice, barely managing to stop herself from shouting, "I will protect my children to my dying breath and I will never, _ever_ allow any child of mine to be turned into a weapon!"

"I believe you," Korvarian remarked, still smiling back at them, her uncovered eye glinting, "But we don't need either of you to be alive to take your child, do we?"

"Try," the Doctor snapped, almost shaking with fury now, stepping closer to the screen, "Just _try_ it. We were prepared to raise an army against you to get our friend and her baby back, imagine what we would do for our own child?"

"Besides, you've already lost," the Hatter laughed mockingly at Korvarin, taking great pride in the knowledge that they had won, that they had beaten Korvarin, and without a drop of blood being spilt, either. Korvarin would never get their baby; she would do anything to stop that from happening. _Anything_ , " _We_ have Melody, safe and sound, back with her parents, and you will _never_ get near her again. I promise you that".

"Oh, Doctor, Hatter," Korvarian laughed, seeming to find them very amusing, "Fooling you once was a joy…but fooling you _twice_ , the same way?" she smirked smugly, "It's a _privilege_ ".

The Hatter took a step back, her eyes widening in horror, "No, Melody…" she breathed, looking frantically to the Doctor.

"Amy," the Doctor gasped, realisation hitting him. He grabbed the Hatter's hand and turned, sprinting out of the room, "Amy!"

They ran out of the control room and down the corridor, frantically trying to get back to the hanger before it was too late because they didn't know. They didn't know the awful truth, not yet. The Hatter winced, starting to fall behind as she struggled to keep pace with the Doctor as they continued running, one hand wrapped around her stomach, but she forced herself to keep running, thoughts of Amy and Melody pushing her forward.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted, pulling the Time Lady closer to him as they ran through the base. They made it to a set of metal stairs and ran up them and over a walkway, "Amy!"

"Just…a little bit further…" the Hatter panted, wincing painfully. The relief that she felt at the sight of the hanger door ahead of them very nearly made her already shaking knees collapse beneath her, but, by some miracle, she still managed to stay standing and run over to the door, "Amy!" she called desperately through the metal door.

The Doctor urgently tried pulling the door open, but it was locked, "Amy!" he yelled, slamming his hand against the door, "Amy, she's not real!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the lock, "Melody, she's a Flesh avatar!" he and the Hatter pounded frantically on the door, trying to get it to open, "Amy!"

Finally, the door slide open and they ran inside the hanger, only to be greeted by the sight of the Headless Monks and even poor Dorium's bodies littering the floor, dead. The Hatter's hand flew to her mouth in horror at the sight, feeling ill as she realised that while they had been in the control room, a battle had been taking place right under their very noses.

"Oh, my…" she trailed off, swallowing hard as she lowered her had. Smoke filled the air from several fires around the room, the room completely filled with chaos, "Amy…" she breathed, feeling her hearts breaking, knowing what this could only mean.

"Yeah, we know," Rory told them flatly, pain written across his face. He looked across to where Strax was on the floor, wheezing, badly wounded. He walked over to kneel beside him.

"It's strange," Strax managed to get out, "I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying is as much as I'd hoped".

"Come on, Strax," he tried to urge him, "Don't give up".

"It's all right; I've had a good life. I'm nearly twelve".

The Hatter closed her eyes tightly, lowering her head sadly.

"Listen to me," Rory said firmly to him, "You'll be back on your feet in now time. You're a warrior".

"Rory…" Strax sighed, looking up to him, "I'm a nurse," he coughed harshly and his eyes slipped closed, succumbing to his wounds.

The Hatter took her hat off and blinked back tears. This wasn't supposed to happen, none of this was _ever_ meant to happen. She looked up and across the hanger to see Amy sitting on a crate, staring heartbroken ahead of her with tears slipping down her face as Jenny sat behind her, trying to comfort her. The brunet immediately walked over to them, feeling Amy's pain all too well, while the Doctor followed close behind her, coming to a stop a few steps from her. The Hatter wanted to hug her, to try and do anything that she could to try and comfort her, but something held her back.

Amy slowly looked up to them as she heard them approach, "So they took her anyway," she said tearfully, shaking her head, "All of this was for nothing…"

"Amy…" the Time Lady moved to touch her arm, but she flinched back from her and stood, staring back at them. She lowered her arm, swallowing painfully as tears slipped down her own face. Amy blamed them, she could see it in her eyes, and the Hatter really couldn't blame her for that. It was their fault, they should have known better. They had made a very grave mistake and now Amy, Rory, and Melody were paying the price.

"We are so….sorry," the Doctor tried, but Amy only winced at the sound of his voice, taking a small step back from them both.

"Amy…" Jenny began quietly, looking sadly at the woman, "It's not their fault".

Amy stared back at the Time Lords, crying softly before she blinked, "I know," she nodded, glancing back to Jenny, "I know," she turned away from them as she started sobbing, Rory quickly moved to comfort her, pulling her into his arms.

The Doctor and the Hatter watched them go, completely helpless and broken hearted for the couple, but there was nothing that either of them could do, not now. Amy was to shocked and upset right now to be thinking clearly, and the Hatter wasn't going to try and comfort her when it was quite clear that they were the last two people that she wished to see right now. She needed time to grieve, the Hatter knew that better than anyone else, and when the time came and Amy would be more accepting, she would be there to comfort her in a heartbeat.

"Doctor, Hatter," Vastra's called, drawing their attention away from the crying couple, "There's someone who wants to speak to you both. Her name is Lorna. She came to warn us".

The Hatter sniffed, wiping her tears away as the Doctor took her hand and they moved to follow after Vastra, who lead them behind a set of creates where a young, dark haired girl was lying on the floor beside a set of stairs, propped up against a wall as she bleed heavily from a wound in her stomach. The Time Lady carefully knelt down beside the girl and took her limp hand, not recognising her face in the slightest bit, but she could tell straight away that she didn't have much longer. The Doctor crouched beside her ran his sonic screwdriver over the girl, checking the results, before grimly rubbing his forehead.

"Hello, Lorna," the Time Lady said gently as the noticed the girl's eyes flickering open. She tried to smile at her, but it felt pained and terribly fake.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted, trying hard to sound happy.

"Doctor," Lorna breathed weakly, looking up into their faces. She smiled faintly, "Hatter".

"You helped our friends," he said, smiling at her, "Thank you".

"It means a great deal to us," the Hatter nodded, feeling herself getting chocked with emotions again.

"I met you once," she told them, her breathing growing harder, "In the Gamma Forests," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a brief look, neither of them recalling any such adventure, "You don't remember me…"

"Of course we do," the Time Lady lied, forcing a large smile onto her face, squeezing Lorna's hand comfortingly, feeling her hearts breaking all over again, "We remember _everyone_ , how could we possibly _not_ remember you?" she sniffed back tears, her smile growing strained, "Hey?"

"Hey, we ran, you and the Hatter and me," the Doctor told her, reaching up to wipe away Lorna's tears, his voice soft, "Didn't we run, Lorna?"

Lorna head lolled slowly to the side, a faint smile on her face as her eyes slipped closed and her breathing stopped completely, her hand growing limp in the Hatter's hand.

"So young…" she said tearfully, looking back up to the Doctor's face. She let go of Lorna's hand and gently placed it onto her stomach, before reaching to take the Doctor's, "It's such a cruel thing, that we always seem to meet people in the wrong order. I hate it".

"I didn't recognise her," the Doctor admitted, looking to the brunet, who could only shake her head sadly. He looked back up to Vastra, "Who was she?"

"I don't know, but she was very brave," Vastra replied quietly.

The Hatter swallowed, looking back to Lorna's face, "Yes, they always are," she agreed, leaning forward to place light kiss on top of Lorna's head, wishing so very dearly that things had been different. Lorna was so young, so terribly young; fighting in a battle that she didn't have to be involved in but was because she felt it was the right thing to do. It was always the same story and it would never stop breaking her hearts.

The Doctor reached out and lightly touched Lorna's arm, before he slowly stood and carefully helped the Time Lady stand. They hugged briefly, both feeling like they had the weight of the Universe crashing down on them, taking small comfort in each other for a second before separating once more, taking each other's hand and holding it tightly.

"So, what now?" Vastra asked as they turned to look at her, "They'd almost certainly have taken her to Earth. Raise her in the correct environment".

"You're right," the Hatter nodded, thinking about the spacesuit that they had found in America, "They did".

The Doctor sighed heavily, "And it's already too late," he and the Hatter walked passed Vastra, heading back into the middle of the hanger and over to where the rest of the group were gathered.

"You're giving up?" Vastra said in alarm, staring after them with wide eyes, "You _never_ do that, especially not you, Hatter…"

They both spun back around to look at her, "Yeah, and don't you wish we did?" the Doctor said flatly.

Lighting flashed a loud clap of thunder sounded throughout the room, making everyone tense and look around warily. Vastra even reached to pull out her sword, but she stopped when the Hatter held out a hand, frowning thoughtfully. That noise…she knew that sound…

"Well then, soldiers," River's voice called through the room, sounding teasing, "How goes the day?"

Slowly, the Doctor and the Hatter turned around to find River standing across the room from them, smirking. The Time Lords expression grew darker with anger, the Hatter crossing her arms across her chest and glaring back at the other woman, unable to believe that she actually had the nerve to just turn up like that after everything that had happened, after she had refused to help them when they had asked her.

"Where the hell have you _been_?" the Doctor demanded, marching over to her with the Time Lady, "Every time you've asked, we've been there. Where the hell were you today?" they came to a stop before her, glaring.

River looked at them calmly, "I couldn't have prevented this," she said, shaking her head.

"And you think that that makes it okay?" the Hatter said angrily, raising her eyebrows. She uncrossed her arms and pointed at River, forcing the other woman to lean back slightly to avoid getting hit in the chest, "You could have _helped_ us, you _should_ have helped us! You could have tried, River!"

"And so, my loves, could you," she told them, not even blinking at them. The Doctor and the Hatter stared back at her in shock as she looked over to where Amy and Rory were standing, holding each other, "I know you're not all right," she said to them, "But hold tight, Amy, because you're _going_ to be".

"You think we wanted this?" the Doctor stared back at her, appalled by the mere suggestion of it, pointing over to Amy and Rory, "We didn't do this. This…this wasn't _us_!"

"This was exactly you," she turned back to them, scoffing, "All this. All of it," she took a step closer to them, "You make them so afraid. When you began, Doctor, all those years ago, sailing off to see the Universe, did you ever think you'd become _this_?" she raised her eyebrows at him, making him blink, "And you, Hatter…" she turned on her, "When you dreamed about travelling the stars and learning about different worlds, did you ever imagine for a moment that you would become this woman?" she looked between them as the Hatter swallowed, her face pale, "Did either of you, when coming up with all those ideas about what you would do when you runaway together, ever think for a moment that _this_ would be how it would turn out? The man and woman who can turn an army around at the mention of their names. Doctor," she focused on him, "The word for healer and wise man thought-out the Universe. And Hatter…" she looked back to her, "The word that has come to be associated with eccentric and laughter. We get those words from you two, you know. But if you carrying on the way you are, what might those words come to mean?" she walked closer to them, circling them slowly as the Hatter closed her eyes, lowering her head, "To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word 'Doctor' means, 'mighty warrior,' while 'Hatter' means, 'trickster'. How far you've come," she shook her head and came to a stop behind them, making them turn to look back to her, "And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon just to bring your two down. And all this, my loves…in fear of _you_ ".

The Hatter stepped closer to River, frowning deeply at her, "Who are you, River?" she asked quietly, needing to know for certain. She couldn't keep playing these little games of theirs any longer, not after today, without knowing exactly who they were dealing with.

River suddenly broke into a broad smile, skipping backwards, "Oh look, the Doctor's cot!" she remarked brightly, moving towards the cot, "Haven't seen that in a very long while".

The Doctor leaped forward and grabbed her wrist, "No, no, you tell us," he ordered her, holding her in place, looking at her very seriously, "Tell us _who_ _you are_ ".

She reached down and took his hand that was around her wrist, entwining her fingers with his as, with her other hand; she reached out to take the Hatter's left hand, "I am telling you," she said pointedly, placing both of their hands on the side of the cot. She gave them a small smile, "Can't you read?"

The Hatter slowly looked down into the cot to see a prayer leaf from the Gamma Forest lying in the bottom of the cot, beautiful golden stitching in the language of the Forest written across the fabric. Her breathe caught in her throat, the TARDIS translation circuit instantly translating the writing in her mind, allowing her to be able to read the words. Her head snapped back up to stare at River in wonder as the Doctor's eyes winded, staring back at the curly haired women.

"Blimey…" the Time Lady murmured, stunned. She laughed slightly, unable to stop herself as she reached out to slowly take River's hand, looking at her as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The Doctor broke into a smile, "Hello," he said to River, finally finding his voice again.

River positively beamed at them, delighted as she squeezed the Hatter's hand, "Hello".

"This is…" she trailed off, shaking her head, speechless.

The Doctor gave a funny little giggle, looking at the Hatter and pointing at River, unable to believe it himself. He shook his head and turned back to River, "But…but that means…"

She grinned, nodding at them, "I'm afraid it does".

"And you're…" the Hatter looked pointedly over towards Amy and Rory, who looked very confused.

"Yes".

The Doctor and the Hatter laughed, overjoyed that their attempt to save Melody hadn't failed, after all. He looked back over to Amy and Rory, rubbing his hands together before he reached up to straighten his bow tie and turned back to River, taking the Hatter's hand. The Hatter let go of River's hand and adjusted her own hat, smiling broadly, any trace of her tears from before completely gone now, save for slightly red eyes.

"How do we look?" he raised his eyebrows at River.

"Amazing," River replied, laughing.

"We've better be".

"Yes, you'd better be".

He spun around, pulling the Hatter along with him, "Vastra and Jenny, till the next time," he pointed to them, making them both smile happily at them.

"Amy, Rory," the Hatter let go of the Doctor's hand, walking over to the couple, giving them a comforting look, "I know it hurts now, believe me, I understand that, but we will find your daughter and I promise you, on our lives, including my own child's life, that we will see her _safe_ ," she quickly hugged Amy, before she could even blink, and then moved to hug Rory.

"River," the Doctor looked back to the woman as the Hatter strolled back over to him, taking his hand, "Get them all home," he smiled at her, the Time Lady winking.

"Doctor?" Rory frowned, watching as the Time Lords headed off towards the TARDIS, "Hatter?"

"No!" Amy shouted, her eyes widening as she realised that they were just going to leave, "Where are you going? No!" she and Rory chassed after them.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and flashed it at the force field surrounding the TARDIS, disabling it. He and the Hatter dashed inside the time machine, only to pause in the doorway to look back over to River, grinning back at her as she smiled, before the two of them disappeared inside the box and slammed the door shut behind them.

Amy and Rory could only watch on in shock and confusion as the TARDIS engines started up as the time machine disappeared right before their very eyes, leaving them behind. Slowly, Amy looked back over to River.

"Where are they going and what did you tell them?" she asked, narrowing her eyes on the woman as she walked closer to her.

"Amy, you have to stay calm…" River began, still smiling faintly.

Amy bent down and plucked a gun up off the floor, aiming it directly at River, "Tell me what you told the Doctor and the Hatter," she demanded, adjusting her grip more firmly around the gun.

Rory's eyes widened, nervously eyeing the gun in his wife's hands, rather shocked to see her actually pointing it at River with such a serious expression on her face. She meant business, "Amy, no!" he said urgently, trying to reach for the gun, "Stop it!"

"It's okay, Rory," River told him calmly, not even blinking as she looked straight back at Amy, "She's fine. She's good," Amy walked closer to her, glaring, "It's the TARDIS translation matrix. It takes a while to kick in with the written word. You have to concentrate".

Amy pulled her eyes off River and looked down at the cot, the Gallifreyan writing engraved along the sides of the cot. She shook her head and quickly looked back up to her, "I still can't read it," she said, Rory taking the chance to grab the gun and take it out of her hands.

"It's because it's Gallifreyan and doesn't translate. But this will…" she reached into the cot and picked up the prayer leaf. She took Amy's hand and placed the piece of fabric into her palm, holding it there as she continued, "It's your daughter's name in the language of the Forest".

"I know my daughter's name," Amy frowned at her, growing upset.

"Except they don't have a word for 'Pond,' because the only water in the forest is the river. The Doctor and the Hatter will find your daughter, and they will care for her whatever it takes or whatever she might do, and I know that…" she smiled faintly as Amy looked down at the prayer leaf, turning it over in her hands as she and Rory watched as the writing translated for them, morphing into 'River'. Amy flipped it over and to see the word 'Song,' sprawled across the fabric, before she and Rory looked back up to River, stunned, "It's me," she told them, her voice growing tearful, "I'm Melody. I'm your daughter".

 _ **And finally, the truth is out there! Our Time Lords know the truth about River…well, half the truth about her, the rest is still yet to come very soon. I know that the Hatter might have seemed a little slow for not realising that they would want Melody for a weapon, but she's a Time Lady herself. She doesn't see herself as being a weapon or a warrior, she would never think for a moment that an innocent child could be viewed as such a thing.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Hatter is a little offended, apparently the Doctor's a blanket hog, and the Doctor has a little…embarrassing moment regarding his wife being just a little too close for him to be able to handle. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **The Twelfth Doctor is going to cause a little bit of tension at times, the Hatter is certainly not always going to agree with him and will probably spend quite a bit of time trying hard to fix things, such as the Doctor's relationship with Danny Pink and Clara. That's going to be a big thing for her to try and handle during that time, though I really can't say much about any of the Twelfth Doctor's era at this point with it being so far ahead of us. That being said, I do have a general idea of how things are going to go and if there was ever a version of the Doctor that the Hatter was going to find tricky to handle at times, it would be him. I kind of see it as being a bit like if the Sixth Doctor had been married to the Hatter during his time, and the conflict that would have sprung up between them. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had been together when the Doctor killed Shockeye? Things between the Hatter and Twelve are going to have their moments, let's just say that. Thanks for the review and suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Funny you should mention the Hatter being on Nardole's side, I have actually thought of a very similar idea as you in that regard. After all, the Hatter takes her duties and responsibilities very seriously, and if she gave her word to protect the Vault, that's exactly what she's going to do. But she's also a free sprite at heart and she would never be able to give up travelling, so she'll probably will feel very caught between the two and I can just imagine the Doctor finding little excuses to get her to go on adventures again, like it's Bill's first adventure or something like that. Thanks for the review and suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I am so excited for John Simm to be coming back, he is my favourite Master (sorry Classsic Who). I can't wait to see how it's all going to work and as for the Hatter coming face to face with two Master's…the poor Hatter, I feel so sorry for her. But I also suppose it also comes down to exactly how the situation plays out. I mean, are they there to help the Doctor in some twisted way, or have they teamed up to do evil deeds, which is probably highly likely, or is it something else. Either way, the Hatter is going to have a very big headache dealing with those two, probably a number of sarcastic comments will be thrown around, too. The Master does tend to bring out the sarcastic side of her. Thanks for the review :)**_


	18. Chapter 18 Let's Kill Hitler, Part 1

_**Let's Kill Hitler, Part 1**_

The Doctor and the Hatter stood outside the TARDIS, leaning against the doors, having just parked the old girl in the middle of a massive crop circle, waiting as the noise of a car engine neared in the distance, hidden amidst the rest of the cornfield that stretched out before them in the field. The Doctor was wearing a new coat, which was much longer then his tweed blazer and a olive green colour with golden buttons on the front of it, while the Hatter looked much the same, save for the fact that her stomach now looked like it was in danger of developing its own atmosphere and the new bright orange pair of tights that she was wearing, contrasting greatly with her yellow shoes and pink top. Not that she cared, she just liked the colour.

The noise of the car engine grew even louder when an orange Mini Cooper came to a sharp stop right on the edge of the crop circle that they were standing it, bits of corn and plant matter stuck into the grating on the front of the car. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged an amused look, watching as the doors opened and Amy and Rory climbed out, staring back at them in surprise.

The Hatter shook her head, almost fondly, and held up an old, yellowed copy of the 'Leadworth Chronicle' newspaper for the pair of them to see a picture of the words, 'DOCTORHATTER,' written in cursive, forming the one word, written in the middle of a large cornfield. The headline of the paper said, 'Leadworth Crop Circles'. She raised her eyebrows, glancing back at the picture.

"Was this really necessary?" she asked, amused. She had to give them credit, it was certainly inventive.

"Well, you never answer your phone," Rory replied, shrugging as if it was obvious.

"Yes, well, someone got sick of the telemarketers constantly ringing," she remarked, shooting the Doctor a pointed look, "He threw the phone into a black hole and I haven't got around to setting up a new one".

"How they got the number is a mystery to me," the Doctor shook his head, but he was giving the Time Lady a suspicious look. He wouldn't be surprised if the Hatter had done something, she seemed like the only person in the Universe who would actually be willing to sit and listen to those people talk. She never could just hang up on them; she said it made her feel guilty.

"Okay," Amy cut in sternly, walking over to them before the Hatter had a chance to say anything, "You've had all summer. Have you found her?" she looked between them, her expression growing hopeful, "Have you found Melody?"

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Time Lady, who was looking at Amy sadly, before glancing over to Rory, "Permission?"

"Granted," Rory nodded with a sigh, taking the newspaper from the Hatter's hands as she offered it to him, looking down at it curiously.

The Doctor stepped forward and pulled Amy into a tight hug as the Hatter moved to rub her back, "You know who she grows up to be, so you know we _will_ find her," he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Amy," the Hatter said comfortingly, patting her back soothingly, "You'll see your daughter again, we promised and I always keep my promises".

Amy pulled away from the Doctor, looking at them both, "But you haven't yet," she reminded them, looking pained and desperate, needing to know that her little girl was safe, needing to see her and touch her again. It was almost physically painful.

The Hatter sighed, pulling her in for a one arm hug, "Yet being the key word," she said firmly, trying to sound as positive as she could. It was hard because she knew how Amy was feeling and she knew that Amy would only be able to believe that when it they saw Melody again, but she couldn't not try and give her the encouragement that she needed to keep faith in them.

"Hang on," Rory frowned, glancing back over to them from the open newspaper in his hands, "What's this bit?" he pointed to something on the page and the three of them stepped over to see him pointing to a straight line cutting its way through the cornfield in one of the pictures, heading straight towards the very circle that they stood in. That hadn't been there before.

"That wasn't us," Amy remarked, seeming to be just as confused.

The Doctor snatched the paper out of Rory's hands and walked away from them, making the humans trail behind him as he began trying to work out what direction the line was snaking its way towards them, moving around widely, evening twirling around at one point with the paper held up high above his head, "Ugh…" he muttered thoughtfully.

"Oh, let me," the Hatter rolled her eyes, easily marching up to him and plucking the paper out of his hands before he could even blink. She shook he head at him and glanced down at the picture, before walking over to stand in the correct spot, facing the direction that the line was meant to be moving towards them, right on the edge of the circle.

"Well done, dear," he cleared his throat, wrapping his arm around her waist as he and Amy and Rory gathered behind her, "Course I already knew, just trying to keep you on your toes," he flashed her a broad smile.

She scoffed, not fooled in the slightest, "You're such an idiot".

"Ah, but I'm _your_ idiot," he said at once, still smiling.

"Just my luck".

"Oi!"

She simply smiled and held up the newspaper, just to double check to make sure nothing else had suddenly appeared in the picture, when the sound of a car engine roaring in the near distance sounded. She frowned slightly, glancing back to the others, "Do you guy's hear that?" she asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Is that a…car?" Rory blinked, listening closely.

Slowly, the Hatter lowered the paper, only to see a bright red sports car racing towards them through the corn. They all cried out, Amy and Rory diving off to the side, while the Doctor automatically grabbed the Hatter, who dropped the paper, and immediately pulled her off to the other side, narrowly avoiding being hit by the car. The Time Lords toppled onto the ground, the Hatter, thankfully, landing on the Doctor, who had made sure to cushion her fall as her hat tumbled off her head to land beside her. The roaring of the car's engine finally stopped as the Hatter, wincing and clutching protectively to her stomach, looked over to see that the car had stopped mere inches away from hitting the TARDIS.

"Hatter?" the Doctor half groaned, struggling to sit himself upright, but once he was upright, he quickly began checking her over for the slightest sign of injury.

"I'm fine," she told him hurriedly, grabbing his hands as they frantically pressed against her baby bump. She gave him a smile, squeezing both of his hands, "We're both okay, baby's just got a little excited," she winced, feeling a sharp stab of a tiny foot digging into her ribcage as she spoke. She sighed, giving him a look, "Only _our_ child could possibly get excited after a near death experience".

He grinned and laughed softly, pressing a kiss onto her forehead and then down onto her stomach. Baby certainly had become a lot more active over the past three months, a big sign that the pregnancy was nearing the end, though the Hatter hadn't been enjoying it overly much. She now barely slept because she found it too uncomfortable to lie in bed, preferring to spend hours just walking around the TARDIS corridors because even sitting down for too long had become a pain. He had tried to help her, but there really wasn't much that he could do and so he had taken to walking with her during the times when she was most unsettled, rubbing her back and trying to find new ways to distract her. Poor Hatter, she was well and truly over being pregnant now, and there was still another two and a bit months left to go.

Still, the labour wasn't going to be very pleasant, either, they had already agreed that it would be safest for the baby to be delivered by C-section, since the Hatter was at a high risk of bleeding during the birth, but Martha would be there, so would Lily, the Hatter's old companion and also a nurse. The Hatter had insisted that they would be the ones to deliver their child, since she wanted the Doctor to be there to hold her hand during the birth, that and she had also pointed out that he was more likely to end up getting all flustered and emotional, and no good to her during the birth. Well, he couldn't argue with that, he expected that he was going to be a sobbing mess.

He gave himself a shake and helped pull the Hatter up onto her feet, though not before she had picked up her hat and put it back on top of her head. They both looked back across to the car, only to find a young, dark skinned woman in her early twenties climbing out of the driver's door, long dark hair braided and twisted onto one side of her head, and dressed in a pale pink and black dotted sun dress, black tights, black leather vest, and black lace-up boots. The woman looked at the Time Lords as they stood, raising her eyebrows with a small smirk.

"You said he was funny," she remarked, eyeing the Doctor, "You never said he was hot," she glanced at the Hatter, her smirk widening as she took her in, "And who's the blimp?'

"Hey!" the Hatter exclaimed, offended. She took a step forward and pointed a warning finger at the woman, "You try being sixteen months pregnant and see what it does to your figure, missy!" she huffed. Damn pregnancy hormones making her feel all sensitive and annoyed when she would never have cared before about people commenting on her appearance. She just had to keep reminding herself that it would all be worth it in the end.

"That's my wife you're insulting," the Doctor frowned, pulling the Hatter back towards him and wrapping his arm around her, his tone sharp. He wouldn't allow anyone to insult the Hatter like that for something so trivial, not in front of him, not ever, and especially when he knew how emotional she could be lately.

"Mels!" Rory called in a scolding tone, hurrying over to them with Amy.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked, eyeing Mels and the sports car.

"Following you," Mels shrugged, holding out her hands on either side of her, "What do you think?"

"Um, where did you get the car?" Rory questioned, staring at the car with a slightly alarmed expression.

"It's mine…" she replied, touching the roof of the car, just as police sirens sounded in the distance, "…ish".

"Oh, Mels, not again," Amy sighed, looking exasperated.

The Hatter blinked and looked at the Doctor, mouthing 'again' to him with her eyebrows raised. Who the hell was this woman, and how did Amy and Rory obviously know her? If she hadn't insulted her she probably would have been a little more inclined towards feeling impressed or amused.

"You can't keep doing this," Rory told Mels sternly, sounding as if he was talking to a misbehaving child, "You're going to end up in prison".

"Sorry!" the Doctor cut in, glancing at Mels, "Hello," he greeted the woman, before turning back to Amy and Rory, "Doctor not following. Doctor very lost…"

"Doctor really needs to stop speaking in third person," the Hatter said loudly, nudging his side pointedly, rolling her eyes.

He winced and gave her a quick look, "Right, sorry, dear. I'll focus on what's important…" he looked back to Amy and Rory, frowning, actually looking quite offended, "You never said I was hot?"

The Time Lady groaned and ran a hand down her face, "So _not_ the most important thing to be asking right now, sweetheart," she said to him, uncovering her face. Honestly, woman turns up with a stolen car, almost kills them, is being chased by the police, and he finds the most important thing to be the fact that Amy and Rory forgot to mention his _looks_? She really had married an idiot, adorable or not.

Mels ignored them both, catching sight of the TARDIS, "Is that the phone box?" she asked suddenly, pointing back to the time machine. She stepped closer to it, staring at it curiously, "The bigger on the inside phone box?" the Doctor frowned and pointed at her, looking back to Amy and Rory, confused as to how this woman knew what the TARDIS was, "Oh, time travel," she grinned, leaning against the doors, turning around to look at the Time Lords as they came to stand on the other corner, eyeing her closely, "That's just brilliant. Yeah…" her grin turned into a smirk, looking between them as they continued to look confused, "I've heard a lot about you two. I'm their best mate," she nodded back over to Amy and Rory.

"Curious," the Hatter said thoughtfully, eyeing her closely, "If you're so close, how come we didn't see you at the wedding?"

"I danced with everyone at the wedding," the Doctor agreed, narrowing his eyes on the woman. The Time Lady smiled faintly, recalling that evening very well, "The women were all brilliant. The men were a bit shy".

"It was a bet," the Time Lady added, shrugging, though she imagined that he probably would have still have danced with everyone there, bet or not.

Mels shrugged and pulled a slight face, walking away from them, "I don't do weddings," she said, just as the sirens grew louder, getting closer, "And that's me, out of time," she spun back around and aimed a gun directly at the Hatter, or she would have, had the Doctor not gently pushed her out of the way. He held up his hands in surrender as the Hatter blinked, startled as she realised what he had done, her own reflexes feeling quite slow lately.

"Mels!" Amy gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"For God's sake…!" Rory exclaimed, shaking his head at her.

"There's no need for that," the Hatter said firmly, her eyes flickering worriedly between the gun and the Doctor, "Just put the gun down and we can have a nice little danger free chat without my husband being held hostage".

"I need out of here, now," Mels told them in a very calm voice, looking to the Time Lady.

The Doctor glanced nervously at the Hatter, fearful that Mels would turn her weapon onto the Hatter unless he did something, and he doubted if he could jump in front of her for a second time. He glanced back to the TARDIS doors and looked back to Mels, "Anywhere in particular?" he asked her, trying hard to sound light and unconcerned.

"Well, let's see…" she pretended to think about it, smirking, "You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell, let's kill Hitler!"

The Doctor and the Hatter's mouths very nearly touched the ground in shock.

….

The TARDIS was out of control, shaking and jolting around as the Doctor and the Hatter frantically tried to pilot, and that was even before the gunshot rang out and horrible, white smoke began filling the room, the bullet very nearly missing the Hatter, who had been leaning slightly to the left at the time, so that when the bullet had gone into the glass of the Time Rotor and straight out onto the other side, she had barely managed to escape getting shot in the face. That was also the cause of the smoke, the console didn't take well to being shot at and the bullet had snagged one of the pipes.

The Hatter's eyes widened, stunned that she had come so close to being killed, staring up at the hole in the glass. The Doctor was at her side almost instantly, wrapping his arms protectively around her and glaring back around the Time Rotor to Mels.

"You almost shot my wife!" he shouted angrily at her, looking back to the bullet hole and the smoke, well, more accurately, gas that was emitting from it, "My very _pregnant_ wife! And you _did_ shot my TARDIS!" he let go of the Hatter, who quickly grab the console to steady herself, watching him as he turned to point furiously at Mels, who was clutching onto the stairs railing near the doors, while Amy and Rory clung onto the railings on the other side of the console, "You shot the console!" he snapped, "You almost _killed_ my wife!"

"Doctor!" the Hatter called to him, seeing how upset and worked up he was getting, "Calm down and focus!"

"It's your fault!" Mels yelled back at him, not seeming to be the slightest bit concerned about almost killing someone.

"Argh!" he let out a loud groan, stumbling over to the railing that she was clutching onto, glaring at her, "How is it _my_ fault?"

" _You_ said guns didn't work in this place! _You_ said we're in a state of temporal grace!"

He rolled his eyes and stumbled back over to the controls, "That was a clever lie, you idiot!" he huffed, throwing her a dark look, "Anyone could tell that was a clever lie"

"Oh, enough squabbling, children!" the Hatter called over the noise and the jolting, moving around the console to grab the monitor, "We need to land this thing and when I say land, I mean…"

"Crash landing!" the Doctor cut her off, pulling a lever, making the shaking even worse, "Everyone, hold on!"

The Hatter winced as the shaking and jolting flung them around, very nearly dislodging her in the process, but she managed to cling on with everything that she had to the railing beneath the monitor, looking up at the screen as it showed them appearing over the top of what looked like a large city, though she didn't really get much of chance to see much of it before they were sent flying towards a building and straight through a large window. Amy yelped loudly from the other side of the console as they crashed through what appeared to be a very large room and came to land on the other side of it, half buried in one of the wood panelled walls. Finally, the shaking stopped, though it was only a very small bonus, the smoke was the main issue now.

"Out!" she ordered everyone, pulling a bright yellow and pink stripped hanky from her pocket, covering her mouth and nose with it. She pulled out several more, tossing them to the Doctor and Rory, who were nearest to her, "Everyone, get out, right now!"

The Doctor grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her towards the door through the dense smoke, Amy and Rory following close behind them, "Out!" he ushered the humans, "Out, out!" he pulled the doors open and half pushed the Hatter outside, stepping out himself with Amy and Rory running out along with them, covering their noses and mouths, "Everybody out!" he stood by the door as Mels finally came running out, "Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!".

"Where are we?" Amy gasped out, looking around the very large room, though it was hard to see much of it with the smoke from the TARDIS billowing into the space.

"A room," he replied, moving to the Hatter's side as she coughed into the hanky. He worriedly rubbed her back, but she lifted her head and gave him a quick smile to reassure him that she was okay, but it vanished completely as she caught sight of something very unsettling on a large banner hanging from the wall by what appeared to be the entrance: a swastika. It made her ill just looking at it, but it looked like Mels had got her wish to go to Berlin during the Second World War.

Rory coughed as he bent over, his hands on the back of a chair that had fallen onto its side, "What room?" he asked through the coughing.

"I don't know what room," the Doctor shrugged, still eyeing the Hatter closely, "I haven't memorised every room in the Universe yet. I had yesterday off…"

"Doctor…" the Hatter cut across him, straightening and lowering the hanky from her mouth, "Mels," she nodded over to where the woman was standing in the TARDIS doorway, looking in as smoke continued to billow out.

He looked back over to her and sighed, "Mels," he called, hurrying over to the woman, grabbing the door to shut it, "Don't go in there!" he said sternly, trying to wrestle the gun out of her hands in the process, "Bad smoke!"

"Oi!" Mels exclaimed, outraged as he managed to snatch the gun from her hands and push her out of the way.

"Bad smoke!" he pulled the door shut, "Don't breathe the bad, bad, smoke. Bad, deadly smoke because somebody _shot_ my TARDIS!" he rounded back on Mels, glaring at her.

Mels rolled her eyes and walked off.

"Doctor!" the Hatter called urgently, making him quickly whirl around to see her kneeling on the floor beside where an older man with rounded glasses was lying on the ground, Amy and Rory beside her, Rory checking the man over. She frowned slightly down at the man, confused and puzzled. The man was strange, his skin didn't even feel right, more like a rubbery thing that was trying hard to copy flesh and was several degrees cooler then it ought to be for a human. Time Lords body temperatures were cooler than humans, so she was very used to feeling the difference.

"This guy, I think he's hurt," Rory added, apparently not noticing anything odd. He touched the man's wrist and pressed his fingers against his pulse, blinking slightly as he looked back up to Amy and the Hatter, "No…no, hang on," he leaned closer to the man, frowning as he reached out to give the man's arm a little shake, "He's fine".

The Time Lady eyed the man suspiciously and glanced back over to the Doctor to get him to come and take a look, when she saw him slipping the clip out of Mels gun. He looked up and caught her eye, casually walking over towards her, acting as if he was looking down at the man as he subtle passed her the clip. She smiled faintly, carefully tucking it away inside her skirt pocket while he walked over to where a fruit bowl was sitting on the desk, putting the useless gun amongst the rest of the fruit. Hopefully, out of Mels sight.

"Oh!" the Doctor suddenly said, his eyes widening in surprise as a man popped up from behind the desk, rubbing his face with his hands with a slightly pained groan, his back facing him, "Hello! Sorry, is this your office?"

The Hatter looked over to him curiously and tried to stand, but she only ended up almost overbalancing herself in the process. She huffed in frustration, just as a hand appeared in her eye line and she looked up to see Amy giving her a small, sympathetic smile. She took her hand and allowed her to help her up, "Thank you," she said gratefully, flashing her a quick smile before moving to stand beside the Doctor, Rory climbing onto his feet, too.

"Had a sort of collision with my vehicle," he was saying to the man, glancing back over towards the TARDIS, before turning back to the man with an apologetic look, "Faults on both sides, let's say no more about…" he trailed off, stunned as the man turned around and lowered his hands, revealing neatly trimmed, dark hair and a rather ridiculous looking square mustache, none other than Adolf Hitler himself. He licked his lips and glanced at the Hatter, who was staring back at the man with a horrified expression on her face, "…it…" he finished weakly.

Amy and Rory hurried over to the Time Lords, Rory coming to stand beside the Time Lady while Amy stood on the Doctor's other side, the four of them staring back at the man in stunned disbelief and horror, "Is that…?" Amy began, shifting uneasily on the spot, lowering her voice, "No, it can't be…Doctor, Hatter…?"

"Oh, I wish that was so," the Hatter murmured, swallowing.

"Thank you, whoever you are," Hitler told them, looking a bit rumpled, "I think you have just saved my life".

"Believe me…" the Doctor breathed, "It was an accident".

Hitler looked across to the TARDIS stuck into the wall of his office, "What is this thing?" he asked, walking over to get a closer look at the time machine, while Amy and Rory moved to stand in front of the Time Lords.

"What did he mean, we just saved his life?" Amy demanded, narrowing her eyes on them, "We could not have just saved Hitler".

"Sort of saved," the Hatter tried to defend, though her voice sounded quite weak to her own ears, keeping her voice low, "It's 1938, so it's not like we _completely_ saved him from dying, just…prevented it happening several years early".

The Doctor spun on his heels and stormed over to Mels, glaring at her. He was not the slightest bit happy about this, not one bit, and it only made it worse that the Hatter was currently standing inside a room with one of the most well known war criminals to ever be produced by the human race, "You see?" he hissed furiously at Mels, who simply rolled her eyes at him, "You see? Time travel, it _never_ goes to plan".

"This box…" Hitler remarked, eyeing the TARDIS curiously before turning back around to look at the Doctor, "What is it?"

He turned back to look at the man, his expression darkening, "It's a police telephone box from London, England," he told him, walking towards him, "That's right, Adolf. The British are coming".

Hitler lifted his chin, when his eyes suddenly widened, catching sight of something behind the Doctor. The Doctor frowned slightly, confused as he slowly turned around, only to find the man that had been knocked to the ground had climbing back onto his feet.

"No!" Hitler cried, "Stop him!" he pulled his pistol out of his holster and fired at the man, the Doctor managing to duck as the Hatter flinched.

Rory ran forward and punched Hitler clear across his face, making the man collapse onto the ground with a pained groan, the gun slipping out of his hand. He quickly bent down and plucked the gun off the floor, aiming it at Hitler, "Sit still," he ordered him, cocking the gun, "Shut up".

Slowly, Hitler put his hands up, looking rather stunned.

Amy dashed over to the other man, wrapping an arm around him as he looked like he was about to fall, though he didn't seem to be injured. The Hatter moved to the Doctor's side and helped him up, both looking over to the man with a small, suspicious frown on their faces.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, concerned.

"Yes, yes," the man nodded, looking a bit shaken, but there was still something off about him, "Yes, I'm fine. I think he missed".

The Time Lords looked at each other, still frowning deeply. There was no way that the man should have been able to avoid getting hit, not at that close of range.

"He was going to kill me!" Hitler shouted, looking quickly back to Rory.

"Shut up, Hitler!" Rory snapped, shaking the gun around at him.

"Rory," the Doctor looked back over to him, "Take Hitler and put him in the cupboard over there," he pointed over to a set of doors on the side of the room, near to the main doors, "Now. Do it".

" _Please_ , Rory," the Hatter added, giving him a pointed look when she noticed him hesitating.

"Right…" Rory blinked, lowering the gun slowly, "Putting Hitler in the cupboard…" he grabbed Hitler's upper arm, forcing him up off the floor and across to the cupboard doors, muttering all the while, "Cupboard, Hitler. Cupboard, Hitler. Come on…" he reached the doors and pulled them open.

"But I am the Fuhrer!" Hitler exclaimed, trying to struggle against him, looking outraged.

Rory simply grabbed his arm again, "Right, in your go," he shoved the man into the rather large cupboard, making him stumble slightly.

He turned back around to glare at him, "Who are you?"

Rory slammed the doors shut on his face, turning around to drop the gun onto a nearby chair.

The Hatter moved closer to the strange man, eyeing him closely, giving him a small, comforting smile, "Hello, there," she said gently, trying hard not to seem like she was peering at him to closely, "Are you okay? That was quite a near miss you just had".

"Oh…I…" the man stared back at her, his eyes rolling up into his head and he collapsed backwards, right onto the floor. The Time Lady raised her eyebrows, glancing at the Doctor as Amy quickly dropped down beside the man, while Rory ran over to join them, looking worriedly down at him.

"I think he just fainted," Rory commented, looking back to the Time Lords.

"Yes, that was a faint," the Doctor agreed, exchanging a wary look with the brunet as Amy stood, "The _perfect_ faint".

"Far _too_ perfect," the Hatter muttered, making sure that only he could hear her. He nodded; taking her hand as he lightly pulled her slightly back from the man.

Amy looked back and forth between the Time Lords, when her eyes landed on something behind them, a worried frown crossing her face, "Mels?" she called.

They all turned, only to find the young woman clutching her side with a pained grimace, "Hitler…" Mels breathed.

"What about him?" the Doctor asked, not seeming to notice anything.

"Lousy shot," she said, before her knees gave way beneath her and she fell onto the ground.

"Mels!" Amy cried urgently, realising what had happened. She had been shot, "Mels!"

"Rory!" the Doctor shouted as they ran over to the woman, Amy coming to kneel beside her on her left side, while Rory knelt on her right, the Time Lords leaning over her.

"No, no, no, no, no, we've got to stop the bleeding," Rory said frantically, desperately trying to press his hands over the bullet wound as blood continued to seep out, covering his hands.

The Hatter quickly pulled her jacket off. The leather outside wouldn't be of much use to try and stop the bleeding, but the fabric lined inside ought to try and help, "Here, use this," she passed it across to Rory, who took it and pressed it against the wound. She reached out and took Mels hand, wincing at how cold and clammy they felt, far more then they ought to be, she was going into shock.

"How bad is it?" Amy looked back across to Rory, comfortingly stroking Mels forehead, "Rory, what can we do?"

"Just keep her conscious," Rory instructed, looking back down to the girl, "Stay with us, Mels".

"Hey, Mels," the Hatter called, plastering a smile onto her face, squeezing Mels hand. Mels, gasping for breath, looking up to her and the Doctor at the sound of her voice, "It's going to be okay, you're in good hands here, I promise you and I always keep my promises," she winked, desperately trying to seem positive.

"Just hold on," the Doctor urged her, fixing a bright smile onto his own face.

"I used to dream about you two…" Mels told them breathlessly, smiling up at them, "All those stories Amy used to tell me".

"What stories?" he asked quickly, just trying to distract her, "Tell us about those stories. Vampires in Venice!" he exclaimed, pointing at her with a grin, "That's a belter".

"When I was little, I was going to marry you," she laughed slightly, looking at him.

"Good idea, bit late, though," he gave the Time Lady a pointed look.

"Oh, I don't see why that should stop us," the Hatter shook her head, flashing Mels a cheeky grin, "How about this, you get through this and the three of us get married, but I'll warn you…" she dropped her voice to a mock whisper, throwing the Doctor a quick look, "He's not very good at sharing and has a habit of hogging the blankets".

Mels laughed faintly again, "Shouldn't you ask my parents' permission?"

"As soon as you're well, I'll get them on the phone," the Doctor assured her, the Hatter nodded along with him.

"Might as well do it now, since they're both right _here_ ," she grinned up at them, raising her eyebrows. The Doctor and the Hatter blinked, glancing at each other in shock before turning back to Amy and Rory, their eyes widening in realisation. Slowly, they all looked back down to her, stunned, "Penny in the air," she remarked lightly, when her hands began glowing with a golden-orange light.

"Oh, my…" the Hatter trailed off, staring at the light in disbelief.

She smirked, looking down at the glow, "Penny drops".

The Doctor grabbed the Hatter and began to gently pull her back up onto her feet, the two of them slowly backing away, unable to take their eyes off the golden glow that was just growing brighter. It all made sense now; it even explained why her hand had felt cooler than normal. She hadn't been in shock from the blood loss, she wasn't even _human_.

Rory leaned back slightly, alarmed, "What the hell is going on?"

"Get back!" the Hatter ordered them urgently, "Get back, right now!"

The Doctor lunged forward, grabbing Rory's hand and the back of Amy's jacket, pulling them away, "Back!" he shouted, Amy not needing to be told twice. She was there when the Hatter regenerated, she knew what was coming, even if it made no sense, "Back, back, get back!" he pulled them back over to stand beside the Hatter, staring back at Mels.

Mels sat up and rose onto her feet, the blood soaked jacket falling onto the floor, looking down at her hands as they continued to glow brightly, almost curiously, "Last time I did this I…ended up a toddler in the middle of New York…" she moved further away from them, into the middle of the room.

"It's amazing you even managed to regenerate at all, so young," the Hatter swallowed, shaking her head in disbelief. They had wondered if she would even be able to regenerate, she supposed this proved that theory correct, "Time Lords…they're not meant to regenerate until they reach physical maturity, the process is considered to be too violent for a child's body to be able to handle," she frowned slightly, glancing back to the Doctor with a mildly horrified expression crossing her face at the thought, "They certainly did quite a bit of meddling with her".

"Okay," Amy said loudly, glancing hurriedly over to the Time Lords, her eyes quickly going back to Mels, "Explain what is happening, please!"

"Mels," the Doctor began, staring back across the room, "Short for…"

"Melody," Mels replied, nodding with a small smile.

"Yeah, I named my daughter after her…" Amy shrugged, glancing at the Doctor and Hatter, not really seeing what the big deal was.

"Amy, not to confuse you even more," the Hatter said slowly, looking passed the Doctor to her, "But I do believe that, through the complexities of time travel, you named your daughter… _after_ your daughter".

Amy's mouth fell open, her head snapping back over to Mels, while Rory slowly looked back to the Time Lords, stunned.

"It took me years to find you two," Mels informed Amy and Rory, smiling softly, "I'm so glad I did. And you see?" her expression brightened, "It all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all".

"You're Melody?" Amy breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. This was not how she expected to see her daughter again, not even close.

"But…if she's Melody, that means that she's also…" Rory started to say.

"Oh, shut up, Dad," Mels cut across him, looking slightly pained, "I'm focusing on a dress size…" she threw her head and arms back, screaming in agony as the regeneration energy burst out of her, forcing them to duck back down by the desk, shielding their eyes from the energy.

The Hatter squinted her eyes against the bright glow and looked back across the room, grimacing at the screaming. She knew that feeling all too well, the pain and the way that it felt like your skin was burning from the inside out, how it felt like you wouldn't be able to bare the pain any more, and only then would it finally stop. She lightly nudged the Doctor's side, making him glance at her as she nodded. He flashed her a quick smile and rose, hurrying over to where Rory had dropped Hitler's gun onto one of the chairs by the cupboard doors, emptying the bullets from it and pocketing them, before dropping the useless gun back down and hurrying back over to the Hatter's side, skidding to a stop, wrapping his arms around her. Finally, the screaming and the bright glow came to a stop, a loud gasp sounding throughout the room as Mels disappeared right before their very eyes, morphing into the curly haired River Song.

"Oh!" Melody gasped out, trying to catch her breath as slowly, Amy and Rory lifted their heads, "Oh, whoa!" she gave herself a shake, "Right, let's see, then…" she looked down her front, a smile crossing her face as she ran her hands down her body, "Ooh, it's all going on down there, isn't it?" her hands moved up to her head and her eyes widened in delight, feeling her mass of curls, "The hair! Oh, the hair!" she ran across to where a mirror was hanging on the wall above the fireplace, near the cupboard, looking at her reflection, "It just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that!" Amy and Rory looked at each other, still appearing quite stunned, "Everything changes! Oh, but I love it. I love it!" she spun back around to face them, gleeful, "I'm all sort of…mature…" she put her leg up on a fallen chair, smirking back at them, "Hello, Benjamin!"

The Doctor slapped his hand across his eyes, feeling as if he really shouldn't be seeing anyone, save for the Hatter and especially _not_ Amy and Rory's daughter, striking such a suggestive pose in front of him, when he blinked and lowered his hand, glancing back to the Time Lady, "Who's Benjamin?" he asked her, whispering.

The Hatter sighed, closing her eyes briefly, feeling a headache coming on, "It's from a movie," she explained quietly, "An older woman, Mrs Robinson, seduces a much younger man called Benjamin".

"Oh," he nodded slowly, before his eyes widened and he opened and closed his mouth for a moment, pointing at himself, "She means…"

"Apparently," she agreed, patting his arm comfortingly.

Melody wasn't paying the slightest bit attention towards them, looking quite thoughtful as she clicked her teeth together, "The teeth!" she whirled back around to look at her reflection, touching her fingers to them, "The teeth! The teeth! Oh, look at them!" she exclaimed, suddenly spinning back around and running over to the Doctor and the Hatter, forcing the Hatter to back up against the Doctor, her back pressed firmly against his chest, standing between his legs, while the Doctor had to jump back onto the desk, grabbing the brunet's waist to steady her. Melody leaned towards them, her hands on either side of them, trapping them in place, "Watch out that bow tie," she smirked, running her eyes over the Time Lords, "And that mini skirt!"

The Hatter blinked, startled, not at all comfortable with just how close Melody was to her or the suggestive glint in her eyes, it just felt…wrong. Very wrong, "Mini skirt?" she repeated, bemused. She struggled to turn her head to look at the Doctor, only managing to end up knocking her hat sideways in the process, "My skirts not that short, is it?" she awkwardly reached up to straighten her hat.

"Um…" he trailed off, swallowing, "Of course not, dear, it's not short or…tight in the slightest. Not that I've noticed!"

"Sure you haven't. It would probably be more convincing if you weren't my husband and if I couldn't feel your hearts racing through the back of my top right now".

Melody grinned and turned back around to face her parents, who were eyeing the scene before them with rather uncomfortable expressions, "Excuse me, you lot," she told them brightly, still trapping the Time Lords in place with her back, which was pressed far too closely to the Hatter for her comfort and personal bubble, "I need to weigh myself!" she dashed off and out of the room.

The Hatter peeled herself off the Doctor, who was looking very flustered after having his wife pressed so close against his front, crossing his legs a little awkwardly. She gave him a mildly concerned look and moved to sit beside him, leaning against the desk as Amy and Rory did the same, both looking rather stunned.

"That's…Melody," Amy said slowly, shocked.

"That's River Song…" Rory breathed, staring off into the distance.

"Who's River Song?"

They looked back over to the doorway that Melody had disappeared through, finding the woman standing there, looking back to them curiously. The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, almost panicked, before turning back to her.

"Spoilers," they said in unison.

"Spoilers?" she asked eagerly, looking between them, "What's spoilers?" she paused, touching her hips thoughtfully, holding up a finger to them, "Hang on, just something I have to check…" she turned and skipped out of the room once more.

The Hatter sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose, "We really ought to have known all that spoilers stuff would be our fault," she muttered.

"Is anybody else finding today just a bit difficult?" Rory groaned, reaching up to rub his head, "I'm getting this sort of banging in my head…"

"You're not the only one," the Time Lady agreed, closing her eyes tightly.

"Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard," Amy commented.

He lowered his hands and looked back across to her, "That's not helping".

"Thanks, Amy," the brunet added, opening her eyes with a pained grimace. Yep, she officially had a headache, just what she needed to go along with the tiny little foot currently digging painfully into her ribcage and the dull ache in her lower back.

"This isn't the River Song we know yet," the Doctor said, pushing off the desk and offering his hand to the Hatter, who took it, the pair walking off into the middle of the room, Amy and Rory following, "This is her, right at the start. Doesn't even know her own name…"

"Oh!" Melody's voice echoed back to them, sounding delighted, "That's magnificent!" they slowly turned back to face the doorway, the Hatter almost looking fearful to know just what she had found to be so good as she appeared in the doorway, grinning back to them, "I'm going to wear lots of jumpers!"

"Lovely," the Hatter said in a slightly strained voice, really wishing that she didn't know that little detail. It still felt wrong for her, she could only imagine how Amy and Rory must be feeling, seeing their own child that, until ten minutes ago, was still a little baby somewhere out there in the Universe.

Melody's expression darkened very slightly, some of the light happiness from before fading as she eyed them, "Well, now, enough of all that," she whipped out Hitler's revolver, aiming it towards the Doctor and the Hatter, neither Time Lord even blinking as she cocked the gun, "Down to business".

"Oh, hello," the Doctor gave her a small smile, raising an eyebrow as Amy and Rory took a step back, looking alarmed, "I thought we were getting married?"

"Yes, I was rather looking forward to be able to tell people not to argue with me because I'm a bride," the Hatter agreed lightly, glancing at the Doctor with a smile.

Melody strolled towards them, shrugging, "I told you, I'm not a wedding person".

"Doctor, Hatter, what's she doing?" Rory asked worriedly, frowning as he watched Melody carefully.

"What she's been programmed to do since birth, I'm afraid," the Hatter told them grimly, glancing at Amy and Rory, "My hearts truly do break for you; I can't even begin to imagine how it must be to witness this".

"But where'd she get the gun?" Rory looked back to Melody, eyeing the weapon in her hand.

"Hello, Benjamin," the Doctor remarked, throwing the chair by the mirror a pointed look, knowing that she had grabbed it while she had tried to distract them as she examined her new face.

"You noticed," Melody smiled very slightly, seeming almost impressed, but it still didn't stop her from trying to fire the gun…only nothing happened, the gun clicking uselessly. Amy and Rory flinched, but the Doctor and the Hatter simply smiled, high fiving each other.

"Oh, admit it," the Hatter smirked at her, watching as Melody glanced at the gun and pulled a face, realising that it was empty, "You would be disappointed if it was truly that easy to kill us," she shrugged, casting her eyes carelessly around the room, seeming to be quite relaxed, "When the Doctor and I realised that you would be dropping by, we decided that it would be best to get any little toys out of the way before you could get your hands on them," she looked back to her, winking playfully, "We really wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, now, would we?"

Melody dropped the useless gun, raising her eyebrows at the Time Lady, "Not all of them," she reached into her vest for her own gun that she had collected from the fruit bowl when she had trapped the Time Lords against the desk.

The Doctor grinned smugly, "Sure about that?" he asked, just as she pulled out…a banana, aiming the fruit his chest, Amy and Rory gasping and flinching again. He had turned the fruit bowl around so that she would pick up the banana when she had said that little suggestive comment about his bow tie and the Hatter's skirt, not fooled in the slightest. He had an advantage on Melody, he knew who she would become in the future, he knew how River Song thought and she would never make a remark about his bow tie unless she was trying to distract him.

Melody glared at both Time Lords, not lowering the banana, "Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?" she huffed, annoyed.

He easily plucked the fruit from her hand, "Why?" he tossed the banana up into the air and caught it again, "You busy?"

"Oh, I'm not complaining," she said, turning back to the desk and grabbing a letter opener off it, whirling back around to slash it at the Doctor, but he jumped backwards, flashing his sonic at the knife, knocking it out of her hands.

The Hatter hardly even blinked, watching the whole thing unfold before her as if she was only mildly interested, "You know, it would have been easier if you had just killed us in the cornfield," she commented, shrugging as the Doctor tucked the sonic back inside his coat pocket, "Certainly would have saved you a lot more time and effort".

"We'd only just met," Melody replied, turning back to the desk as the Doctor stepped closer to the Hatter, turning his back on her, "I'm a psychopath. I'm not rude…" she grabbed her actual gun from the fruit bowl and spun back around, firing it at the Doctor.

Amy screamed and ducked as Rory leaped backwards, his eyes widening, but the Hatter simply reached into the small pocket on the side of her skirt, pulling out the gun's clip, "Nice try," the Time Lady grinned, acting as if it was just a game, tossing the clip into the air and catching it, the Doctor snaking his arm around her waist, both looking quite smug.

Melody glared at them and lowered the gun, realising that, once again, she had been outsmarted by them.

"You are not a psychopath!" Amy cried desperately, moving back to the Time Lords side with Rory, "Why would she be a psychopath?" she lowered her voice, clearly not realising just how good a Time Lords hearing could be.

She dropped the gun, her eyes fixed on the Doctor and the Hatter, "Oh, Mummy, Mummy, pay attention," she told her, walking closer the Time Lords, slowly circling them as they did the same to her, their eyes never leaving her, "I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor and the Hatter".

"You weren't _born_ to do that," the Hatter said sharply, frowning deeply at her, "You parents never wished for that to be your fate, not ever, that was what you were _made_ into," she looked back across to Amy and Rory, seeing their troubled expressions. She sighed heavily, truly feeling her hearts breaking for them, "That was what Demon's Run did, that's what the 'weapon' was".

The Doctor came to a stop, eyeing Melody carefully as she neared him, coming to stand just a bit too close to him then he would have liked, "Our bespoke psychopath," he commented.

Melody smirked at him, "I'm all yours, sweetie," she said quietly, leaning to press a light kiss onto his lips, which made him flinch away from her, not having expected that she would actually dare to do something like that, and in front of the Hatter.

He immediately moved back to the Hatter's side, not wishing to be anywhere near Melody again if she was going to try and pull a move like that one, taking the brunet's hand as even she looked a little surprised by the little peck, "Only River Song gets to call me that," he said, frowning very slightly at her.

"And who's River Song?" she asked, not overly concerned.

"A friend of ours," the Hatter replied, smiling faintly, if a little sadly, "A dear one".

"Stupid name," she turned and gasped in delight, catching sight of the broken window behind her, "Oh, look at that!" she hurried over to the ledge and climbed up onto it, looking out across the city, the wind gently blowing her hair and clothing, "Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart," she smiled, turning back around to look down to them, "Now that's my kind of town. Mum, Dad, don't follow me," she gave them a stern look, "And yes, that _is_ a warning," she turned back to the window.

"No warning for us, then?" the Doctor called, raising his eyebrows.

She spun back around to face them, smirking, "No need, my loves, the deed is done and the Hatter is going to be quite busy, I should think," she winked at the Time Lady, who frowned warily, not understanding what she meant by that. She simply smiled wider at them, "And with my work here finished, so are you".

"I don't understand…" the Hatter began, feeling as if she was missing something, when the Doctor's knees almost seemed to give way beneath him, making him almost collapse onto the floor, very nearly taking the brunet down with him. She gasped, alarmed, wrapping her arm around him as her head snapped back up to stare at Melody, "What the hell have you done?" she demanded angrily, panic starting to set in.

"Doctor?" Amy said urgently, moving to try and help support him with Rory, seeing the Hatter struggling as the Doctor clutched painfully at his chest, "What's wrong? Hatter?" she looked quickly to the Hatter.

"Tell me what you have done?" the Hatter snapped at Melody, feeling her mouth go dry and her hearts start to race, her panic growing stronger with every second. She grabbed the Doctor's face, holding it between her hands as she desperately tried to search his face, but she couldn't see anything of the surface, the Doctor still clutching at his chest. She glared back over to Melody, "Tell me what you did, River? Tell me, right _now_!"

"River…" the Doctor gasped out, wincing, half collapsing into the Hatter.

"Oh, River, River, River…" Melody rolled her eyes, scoffing at them, "More than a friend, I think".

"What have you done?" he collapsed, pulling the Hatter down with him as she desperately tried to hold him up, but it was simply no use. She wrapped her arms around him, glaring back up at Melody.

"It was never going to be a gun for you two," she told them, almost mockingly, "The man and woman of peace who understands every kind of warfare, except, perhaps, the cruellest…"

The Hatter's eyes winded in horror, realising what she was talking about. She gently grabbed the Doctor's chin and pulled his head towards her, using the sleeve of her top of to wipe his lips, though it would do little use now, "The kiss," she breathed, swallowing hard, looking back up to Melody, "You poisoned him through the kiss".

"And you, eventually," she smirked, looking quite smug, "If one of you dies, then so does the other one, am I right?" the Doctor and the Hatter both exchanged a quick look, the Time Lady's hand moving to rest on her stomach, "Oh, don't fret," she shook her head, her smirk turning positively cruel, "Your baby will be fine, we have plans for it. A full-blooded Time Lord is simply too precious to lose".

She lifted her chin, her expression growing determined, her eyes glinting dangerously, "We will _never_ let that happen," she said, her voice shaking with barely suppressed anger, "I swear, River, if you dare try to lay a finger on my child, my moral code be damned. That's a _promise_ ".

"No where in the Universe would keep you safe," the Doctor agreed, rasping it out slightly, grimacing.

Melody laughed, "Kiss, kiss," she blew them both a kiss, before turning and simply dropping down out of the window, not the slightest bit concerned about the height.

"What do we do?" Rory asked worriedly, eyeing the Doctor carefully as he knelt beside him, "Hatter?"

"We need to figure out the poison first," the Hatter sighed heavily, pushing the Doctor's hair back, feeling his face starting to grow clammy. She couldn't think about the rest of it, not yet, she needed to just focus on fixing the Doctor and then, the little issue with her possibly also dying as a result of his death would no longer be a problem. Plus, with the two of them back in action, Melody would have no chance of getting near their child, "Then we might be able to figure out a cure…" she frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm fine," the Doctor cut in, before groaning, "Well, no, I'm dying, but I've got a plan," he tried to give the Hatter a bright smile.

"What plan?" Amy questioned.

"Not dying," he managed to ground out as the Hatter closed her eyes tightly, "See? Fine".

"That's not what I would call you right now," the Hatter muttered, shaking her head, "Very far from it," she looked back to Amy and Rory, "Help get him up, I really shouldn't be trying to lift him at all".

Amy and Rory quickly moved to try and help pull the Doctor up as he strained to try and stand, clutching his chest as he groaned loudly. The moment he was back on his feet, the Hatter was wrapping his arm around her shoulders and moving her own arm around his waist, trying to support him.

"Okay, what do we do?" Rory asked urgently, looking to the Hatter, "How do we help you?"

The Hatter shifted slightly and reached into the Doctor's inner coat pocket, pulling out the sonic screwdriver, handing it to Rory, "Here, take this," she told them as Rory took it, "We can use the TARDIS to home in on it and track you done again. Now, off you pop," she lightly pushed him over towards the window, "Go after Melody, keep an eye on her and be _careful_ ".

Rory didn't need to be told twice, running over to the window, while Amy remained behind to help the Time Lady support the Doctor, moving over towards the TARDIS.

"You said the smoke was deadly," Amy frowned, but still helped the Hatter to guide the Doctor over towards the time machine.

"No, no, no, the smoke's fine," the Doctor shook his head at her, not appearing to be the slightest bit concerned, "The poison will kill me first…" he leaned against the TARDIS as they reached it, quite breathless now.

"What about you, Hatter?" she looked quickly back to the Time Lady, who had pulled her TARDIS key from her pocket.

The Hatter waved her off, "Don't worry, I'll do a thing and fix that," she told her, inserting the key into the lock, already off thinking about something else, "Now, you just go off after Melody, keep an eye on Rory, and find a nice hat…" she paused, blinking as she turned back to her, "Sorry, forget that last one, that was an automatic order…though, if you do feel the urge to wear a hat, don't deny it, Amy. Never deny wearing a hat," she pointed at her sternly, "That's one of my personal rules, possibly one of my most important ones".

Amy sighed, feeling slightly frustrated. The Hatter was rambling, even more than normal, that meant that she was seriously worried and afraid, but trying not to show it. Plus, talking about hats? That was random, even for her, "I don't understand, okay?" she looked back and forth between the two of them, the Doctor with his eyes closed tightly with a pained grimace and the Hatter tucking the key back into her skirt pocket, but she had yet to push the doors open, "One minute she's going to marry you two and then she's going to kill you…" she shook her head.

"Ah, well, she's been brainwashed," the Doctor said dismissively, grimacing, "It all makes sense to her. Plus, she's a woman…" he glanced back to see both women looking back at him, their eyebrows raised, "Oh, shut up," he groaned, closing his eyes briefly, "I'm dying".

"Excuses, excuses," the Time Lady muttered, grabbing his arm and pulling it back over her shoulders, "Amy, go," she said sternly to the girl, not waiting to hear her response as she pushed the TARDIS doors open and half pulled the Doctor into the console room, dense smoke completely filling the space. They both started coughing as she slammed the door shut, "Extractor fans on!" she managed to shout up at the ceiling.

Immediately, the fans started up and the smoke was sucked out of the room, leaving the air fresh and clean once more.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed brightly, looking around, "That works!"

"Never mind that, sweetheart," the Hatter sighed, gently guiding him over to the steps leading up to the main console level. They had more pressing things to be worried about right now.

 _ **And we have a glimpse of how protective the Hatter is going to be over her child, the Dalek's would have nothing on her if someone tried to do anything to one of her children. Next chapter, we find out what happens to the Hatter if the Doctor does end up dying, a few old faces make an appearances, and something big is coming. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **Hmm, I'm not sure. It's hard to imagine the Doctor asking the Hatter to leave Gallifrey with Susan without him, but it's probably harder still to imagine the Hatter actually doing it. At the time her children were all still in school, I can't imagine her ever leaving her children behind on Gallifrey while they were still in school, that's why she didn't leave with the Doctor and Susan in the first place. But, if things had been different and her children had all left school by that point, I think the Hatter would have focused on trying to find a way to make sure that Susan continued her studies, probably not at a Earth school in the sixties, but I can see that as being her main focus. As for the Doctor, he would have been even more miserable stuck on Gallifrey and I think he would probably joined them pretty soon after they left. I hope that answered you question :)**_


	19. Chapter 19 Let's Kill Hitler, Part 2

_**Let's Kill Hitler, Part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter had hardly reached the top of the stairs before his knees gave way beneath him. They both fall onto the floor, the Doctor groaning loudly in pain as the Time Lady just tried to stop him from completely hitting the floor.

"Hatter, I'm shutting down…" he winced, his breathing growing harder.

"Don't say that," she told him sharply, swallowing hard. She lightly pushed him backwards, until his back came to rest against the railing behind him, and gently reached up to cup his cheek, "I'm going to need to bring up the voice interface, otherwise it will take too long…" she said, more to herself then to him, desperately just trying to keep her mind focused on what needed to be done.

"Come on, emergency!" he called, clutching at his chest.

A hologram of the Hatter appeared, only this hologram version of her was before she was pregnant, her expression blank, "Voice interface enabled".

The Hatter pulled a face, "Someone else, please".

The hologram shifted the Doctor.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor shook his head, frowning at his hologram, "Give me someone _I_ like".

The image flickered and the Hatter's last regeneration appeared, all blonde hair and Scottish.

"Again, someone _else_ ," the Hatter sighed loudly.

It flickered and Martha appeared.

"Oh, thanks," the Doctor said sarcastically, throwing the TARDIS console a look, "Guilt," the hologram shifted and Donna replaced Martha, her hand on her hip. He groaned, "More guilt!" he closed his eyes briefly as a sharp pain shot through his chest, the Hatter grabbing his hand worriedly as, breathless, he opened his eyes and looked back at the hologram, "Come on, there must be someone left in the Universe I haven't screwed up yet".

The hologram flickered and was replaced with a young women with long, black hair that was tied back with a red ribbon in a plait that hung down her back. Her facial features were soft, with big blue eyes and pale skin that contrasted against the darkness of her hair, and she was dressed in a floor length red dress with orange strips of pleating on the skirt and pinned to the front of the dress was a rounded broach the Pydonian symbol.

"Voice interface enabled," the hologram said in a clear, soft voice.

The Hatter sighed heavily, running her eyes over the very familiar sight of her First regeneration, appearing to be still in school, judging from the dress and hairstyle. She had stopped wearing ribbons in her hair when she had left school, "Oh no, not me," she complained, frowning slightly, "Pick someone else, anyone but _me_ ".

"No," the Doctor cut in quickly, looking back to the Hatter, "This is perfect, exactly what I want," she went to open her mouth, but he hurried on, "Please, Hatter, I'm dying," he gave her a weak, pained smile, "I want to remember every moment of our lives together, every version of you, right until the very end".

"You're _not_ dying," she said firmly, but her voice shook very slightly and she blinked rapidly for a moment, as if she was fighting back tears, "I refuse to accept that".

He looked at her fondly, "Always so stubborn," he laughed, before breaking off with a groan and grabbing at his chest again. He swallowed hard and looked back up to the hologram, "Ariana, always so sweet and innocent, the first girl to ever steal my heart and never let it go," he tried to sit up a bit straighter, the Hatter gently helping him as he winced painfully again, growing breathless juat from the small effort. He looked back up to the hologram, panting slightly as his expression softened, "My Ariana, before everything changed and I lost you…" he paused, glancing back to the Hatter, who was looking tearful, "Well, for a little while".

"I am not Ariana," the hologram said in a monotone voice, "I am a voice interface".

He looked back to the hologram, breaking into a pained grin, "Hey, you and me, we're going to travel the stars together, aren't we?" he tried to sound bright and happy, "Anywhere and everywhere, no one will ever be able to stop us, not even your parents. You'll never have to answer to them again, I swear…"

"I am not Ariana, I am a voice interface".

He laughed weakly, shaking his head fondly, "You are such a Time Lady, all proper and boring, but don't worry, I can fix that," he winked, his eyes slipping shut briefly.

The Hatter swallowed, reaching down to take his hand, squeezing it. It broke her hearts to see him sitting there, in pain and speaking to a hologram of her First body as if it was actually her there. She dearly hoped that it brought him a bit of comfort, because right now she felt lost as to what to do, "Voice interface," she began, clearing her throat as her voice shook, looking back to the hologram, "What is the Doctor's diagnoses?"

"The Doctor's system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas Tree. He will be dead in thirty two minutes".

The Doctor slapped his hand against the side of his throat, his entire body starting to shake, starting to slip down the railing as the effort to keep himself upright started to grow harder. The Hatter scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his back, bringing him to lean into her, his head dropping onto her shoulder with a sigh of relief, the smell of her hair helping him to keep focused and remember that she needed him, that he had to keep fighting, for her and their child.

"Okay, so…" he looked back up to the hologram, "Basically, better regenerate, that's what you're saying?"

"Regeneration disabled," the hologram replied, "You will be dead in thirty two minutes".

"Don't you dare say that," the Hatter glared at the hologram, not caring if it was completely irrational for her to be getting angry at a hologram of her own First body, "We need a cure, tell us where to find or make one".

"There is no cure. You will be dead in thirty two minutes".

The Doctor groaned, burying his head into the Hatter's neck, "Why do you keep _saying_ that?" he huffed in annoyance.

He wasn't giving up, he _couldn't_ , giving up meant that the Hatter would either die a painful and miserable death along with him, or spend the rest of her life tormented, feeling forever like a chunk of herself was missing. Most Time Lords that went down that path, while rare, would end up killing themselves because it was just simply too much for them to bear. Death was considered to be a blessing when one of a United pair would die, living on after losing your United was considered to be absolute hell. He believed in the Hatter, he believed that she was strong enough to make it, but what type of person would she be as a result? How would she even be able to try and raise their child in such a state? It terrified him, the mere idea, so he couldn't give up. He wouldn't, for his wife and child's sake.

"Because you will be dead in thirty two minutes," the hologram said in the same monotone voice.

"You see?" he lifted his head and looked back to the hologram, "There you go again. Basically skipping thirty one whole minutes when I'm absolutely fine. Time Lady, that's all I'm saying…" he shot the Hatter a pointed look.

The Hatter gently nudged his side, "Rude," she said, trying hard to sound scolding. It really didn't come out very scolding, more fond. She was only just stopping herself from bursting into tears; she was amazed she could even speak without breaking down completely.

"You will be fine for thirty _one_ minutes," the hologram corrected, "You will be dead in thirty two minutes".

"River needs us," the Doctor told the hologram, clutching the Hatter as she nodded at him, smiling weakly in agreement, "She's only just beginning. I _can't_ die now".

"You will not die _now_. You will die in thirty two minutes".

"Stop saying that," the Hatter snapped, holding the Doctor tighter to her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what she would do if she lost the Doctor, and that was even if she managed to survive his death. She needed him, how could she even try to raise a child without him? She couldn't even try to imagine the Universe without him, he had been such a fixture in her life since the age of twenty that to think of him not being there, of him not even being in the Universe anymore, was simply too much for her to even try comprehend. She glared back up at the hologram, "I think that's quite enough from you, voice interface," she said coldly, watching with a tiny bit of satisfaction as the hologram flickered and disappeared.

Suddenly, the Doctor screamed in agony and jolted so violently that the Hatter was forced to let him go for fear of injury to herself, desperately trying to gently guide him onto the floor. He groaned weakly, gasping for breath as she brought his head into her lap, running her fingers through his hair. Something wet dripped onto his cheek and he slowly looked up to see tears running down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," he murmured, weakling reaching up to wipe her tears away, giving her a small smile, "You know that I hate it when you cry".

She sniffed, "And you know how much I hate to see you in pain, sweetheart".

"Hatter, I can do this, I can be strong and brave, for you, but first I need you _stay_ strong and brave _for me_ , okay?"

"How?" she demanded, roughly using her free hand to wipe her face, her voice chocked, "How can I be strong or brave when my husband is dying, right before my eyes?"

"You're the Hatter, the strongest woman I know," he replied, his smile brightening, even though he was still in a great deal of pain, "You can do anything you put your mind to it, which is why I need you to be strong for me now because I can't do this without you".

She swallowed and lifted her head high, forcing away her tears. Crying could come later because he was right, he needed her right now. They needed to get back to Melody, they couldn't just leave her the way she was, and the Doctor had no chance of being able to try and help Melody in the state he currently was in. For now, she would put her feelings away, focus on what they had to do, and help her husband to keep going until there was nothing more that could be done, even if her hearts were breaking and she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

"Very well, Doctor," she said quietly, her expression growing determined, "For you, I'll be strong and brave. For _you_ ".

"That's my Hatter," he laughed faintly, looking proud.

She forced a smile and dropped a kiss down onto his forehead, before carefully helping him to climb onto his feet, clutching onto each other as the Doctor desperately tried his hardest to pull himself upright without putting too much of his weight on to her, afraid that he might hurt her and the baby, but she didn't complain, not once, and when he was finally standing on his own feet, he pressed a his hand to her bump.

"We can do this," he told her, meeting her eyes.

The Hatter smiled faintly and nodded, covering his hand, "Together," she agreed, "Just like we always do".

…

Melody eyed her reflection thoughtfully as she stood before a mirror, right in the middle of a large restaurant of a hotel that she had…commandeered. Well, she needed something to wear, didn't she? And all those people that had been there, eating lunch, had just been easy targets for her, so she had decided to borrow their clothing. Borrowed…at gun point, of course, but she had still let them all run out of the hotel without killing or injuring anyone, even if it had been a little tempting.

She pulled a military coat on, eyeing how the grey colour worked with the rest of her stolen clothing, while behind her, Amy stood, her face rigid and blank of emotion, not that she was paying much attention to her. She was far too busy fiddling around with her clothing to care, "I might take the age down a little," she remarked, admiring her new face with a small smirk, "Just gradually, to freak people out".

"You killed the Doctor," Amy stated emotionlessly, "And have endangered the Hatter's life".

"Oh, yes, I know, dear," she sighed tiredly, quite bored, "I hope you're not going to keep on about it," she picked up a German soldier's hat, popping it on top of her curls and eyed her reflection thoughtfully, "Oh, regeneration," she smiled, turning side to side on the spot so that she could see her new outfit from every angle, "It's a whole new colouring to work with," she giggled slightly and pulled her hat off, tossing it aside as she reached up to fix her hair.

Amy moved to stand beside the mirror, looking directly at her with the same unblinking, emotionless expression on her face, "You killed the Doctor and, in turn, the Hatter on the orders of the movement known as the Silence and Academy of the Question," she said in a flat voice, "You accept and know this to be true?"

Melody continued to admire her reflection, not even looking at her, "Quite honestly, I don't really remember," she admitted, "It was all a bit of a jumble," Amy pushed the mirror aside and opened her mouth, shooting a bright beam of pale blue energy at her, causing her to stumble back with a loud groan of pain, "No!" she shouted, her eyes closed tightly as she tried to struggle against the beam, "No! Get off me!"

"Sorry," a voice called out, and Amy…or, at least whatever was posing as her, released Melody and turned in the direction of the voice, Melody's head snapping up, too, her eyes widening in shock.

The Doctor was casually leaning against the corner of the TARDIS, dressed in a black suit and tales with a matching top hat on his head. He even had a black cane with a circular handle. The Hatter stood beside him, dressed in her usual outfit…only she also had a top hat on, this one having a bright pink ribbon tied around it. She had insisted on wearing her usual clothing, since she found it hard enough to move around without adding a dress to trip over, which the Doctor had been more than happy to agree with. He preferred to remember her as she was, not dressed up in an outfit that he knew she hated wearing and if it made her happy, how could he possibly argue against that?

"Did you say she killed the Doctor and possibly the Hatter?" the Doctor continued, smiling smugly as he glanced at the Time Lady, " _The_ Doctor? _The_ Hatter?" he looked over to 'Amy' and Melody, raising his eyebrows, "Hatter and Doctor who?"

Melody stared back at them, her eyes mainly on the Doctor, "You're dying…and you stopped to change?"

He pushed himself off the TARDIS and held out his hand to the Hatter, who happily took it as he twirled the cane around in his other hand, the two of them walking towards her, "Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any," he told her lightly, the two of them trotting down the steps, "Time is not the boss of you…" he pointed the end of the cane at Melody, "Rule four hundred and eight".

"Remember that," the Hatter said sternly, before turning her attention across to 'Amy,' eyeing her closely as the woman just stood there, watching them with no sign of emotion of her face, "Ah, hello, Amy," she greeted in mock happy tone, "Or rather the thing that's taken Amy's face, I should say".

The Doctor looked across to her, too, "Judgement death machine," he added, shaking his head, "Why am I not surprised?" he held his cane up, popping the handle open to reveal a sonic screwdriver hidden within it. He grinned broadly, looking back over his shoulder to Melody, "Sonic cane".

"Are you serious?" Melody rolled her eyes, not looking the slightest bit impressed.

"Very rarely," the Hatter commented with a shrug, watching as the Doctor flashed the sonic cane at 'Amy,' scanning, "Never be serious unless you can help it," she glanced back to her, "And even then, only as a last resort. Rule twenty seven," she paused, frowning very slightly at her, "You know, you really should be taking note of these".

The Doctor finished scanning and checked the cane, "Oh, it's a robot!" he exclaimed, "With four hundred and twenty three life signs inside," he lowered the cane, "A robot worked by tiny people," he broke into a grin and looked at the Hatter and Melody, the Time Lady looking just as delighted as him, "Love it," he laughed, before he frowned and looked back at the robot, "But how do you all get in there, though? Bigger on the inside?" he looked back at the cane, blinking in surprise, "No…basic miniaturisation sustained by a compressed field".

"Ooh, clever," the Time Lady said with a small smile, looking directly into the robot's eyes, knowing that the crew could see them, "But you should still be careful about the cake and lollies. Don't let that compression field fool you…" she paused, glancing back to the Doctor, "Wait, did I really just tell people to be careful about eating too much sugar? _Me_?"

"It's been a day full of surprises, dear," he agreed, planting a quick kiss to her cheek and turning back to the robot, "Amy…" he called, peering into the robot's eyes, "If you and Rory are okay, signal us," he held up the sonic cane and they waited for a moment, when his cane gave a buzz and the Hatter broke into a broad smile, pleased that they were okay. He looked back to the robot, "Thanking you," he nodded.

Suddenly, he cried out in pain and grabbed at his left leg, making the Hatter jump as he let her hand go, not wishing to pull her down with him as he collapsed onto the floor, using his cane to stop himself from completely hitting the floor. The Hatter went to try and help him, but stumbled slightly and grabbed a nearby chair, just as a sharp, shooting pain went through her head and she groaned, closing her eyes tightly. Something warm trickled down her lips and she forced her eyes open, reaching up to touch beneath her nose, pulling her hand away to find blood covering her fingers. She swallowed and quickly wiped her hand on her skirt, the pain turning into a dull throb. She placed a hand on her stomach, feeling her panic rising. It was starting.

"I'm so sorry," the Doctor said quickly, trying to pretend like nothing was wrong, still scrambling around on the floor, "Leg went to sleep. Just had a quick left leg power nap," the Hatter moved towards him and grabbed his arm, helping to pull him back up onto his feet, but his legs were still very weak and he was forced to lean heavily on her, "I forgot I had one scheduled," he looked worriedly at the Hatter, noticing how pale she looked. He let her go, afraid that he was hurting her, and moved to sit on the stairs just behind him, "Actually, better sit down. I think I heard the right one yawning…" he trailed off as the Hatter sat down heavily beside him. His eyes widened in alarm as he noticed a smear of blood just beneath her nose, "Hatter," he reached out, grabbing her hand.

"I know," the Hatter cut him off, speaking softly as she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the hanky that she had used to protect herself against the smoke, using it to dab at her nose, "There's nothing that can be done about it now…" she stopped, wincing as another sharp pain shot through her head, the Doctor squeezing her hand as he watched her closely. Soon enough her ears would start bleeding, that was going to be just lovely.

Melody, seeing them distracted, tried to make a run for it towards the door, but the robot Amy turned and shot out a bright pale blue beam of energy that hit Melody in the back, causing her to come to a skidding halt, screaming in agony.

"No!" the Hatter shouted at the robot, her eyes widening, "Stop it!"

"Don't you touch her!" the Doctor called urgently, "Do not harm her in any way!"

The robot cut off the beam of energy and looked back over to the Time Lords, Melody groaning painfully, suspended inside a containment field, "Why would you care?" the robot asked them, "She's the woman who kills you".

He reached up to take his hat off, glancing at the Time Lady beside him as he noticed her dabbing at her nose again, trying hard to be discreet about it. He swallowed and forced a smile, looking back up to the robot, "We're not dead," he said, dropping the hat onto the ground.

"You're dying. Both of you are".

"Little nose bleed," the Hatter waved her hand dismissively, sniffing, glancing back up to the robot, "Stop fussing, I hate fussing".

"She really does, you know," the Doctor nodded to the Time Lady, turning back to the robot and pointing his cane at it, "And, well, at least we're not a time travelling, shape shifting robot operated by miniaturised people, which, I have got to admit…" he looked back to the Hatter, "I didn't see that coming. Did you, dear?"

"Not specifically, no," the brunet agreed, lowering her bloody hanky as her eyes moved across the room to Melody, frowning as she turned back to the robot, "I am very curious, however, about what you wish to do with her?" she nodded back over to Melody.

"She's Melody Pond," the robot replied, "According to the records, the woman who kills the Doctor and the Hatter".

"And I'm the Doctor and this is the Hatter," the Doctor told it, gesturing to the Time Lady, raising his eyebrows tiredly at it, "So what's it to you?"

"Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes. Time travel has…responsibilities".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, turning back to the robot, laughing slightly, "What?" he shook his head, his laughter fading, "You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?"

"We don't kill them. We extract them near the end of their established timelines".

The Hatter frowned, casting Melody a quick, concerned look, "And then what do you do, exactly?"

"Give them hell".

"Excuse me?" she sat up straighter, staring at the robot, her expression darkening, "Wanting to get justice for a past wrong, I can understand that, but that doesn't mean that _you_ should be the ones to give out the punishments," she pressed her hanky against her nose, glaring, her voice coming out muffled, "I won't even bother to ask you who you think you are, that seems pretty obvious".

The Doctor fixed the robot with a steady look, "And here's the question, who do you think _we_ are, huh?" he held out his arms, not taking his eyes off it as he pointed his cane over to Melody, "The woman who killed the Doctor and the Hatter," he lowered the cane, "Sounds like you've got our biography in there. I'd love a peek".

"Yes, ought to be interesting," the Hatter agreed, brightening slightly, though she did grimace very slightly for a second, "I'd love to read about some of our adventures, for old time's sake".

"Our records office is sealed to the public," the robot informed them, "Foreknowledge is dangerous".

"Telling the Time Lords about the Laws of Time," the brunet muttered, shaking her head. She felt something warm trickling down the side of her face and reached up to touch her left ear, pulling her hand away to find fresh blood coating her already stained fingers. She swallowed and tried to mop the blood up, but she knew that it was a very big sign just how much time the Doctor had left and soon, she would be possibly be facing either hell or her own death, though she wasn't overly concerned for herself, it was her child that she was truly afraid for. Her completely defenceless baby, if she died, what would happen? And if she _did_ manage to live, would the strain be too much and cause her to go into early labour? She could already feel the impact of what was happening to her having an impact, sense the baby's distress. Early labour at this point would be okay, the baby would be fine to be born at this point, perhaps smaller then it ought to be, but that was still not a very comforting thought. She couldn't have this child without the Doctor, she couldn't.

The Doctor shot her a small, pained smile at her remark, but his smile vanished as he noticed the blood trickling from her ear, how pale she had grown. It terrified him. He squeezed her hand and forced himself to look back to the robot, desperately trying hard to stay light, even though that was the last thing that he felt right now with his pregnant wife growing weaker and the clock hanging over his head ticking away to his final moments, "Yeah, well, I'll be dead in three minutes," he told the robot, unable to keep the sadness from his voice, "There isn't much foreknowable left".

"And I'll likely be following him," the Time Lady added grimly, trying to mop the blood from her nose, "And if I do survive, I'll be a blithering, near catatonic mess for a good few hours, little use to anyone. Trust me, foreknowledge will be the least of my concerns".

There was a brief moment of silence from the robot, "Sorry, can't do that," it said, when it looked away from them. The Doctor and Hatter frowned slightly, glancing at each other in mild confusion, when it finally looked directly at them once more, "Records available".

The Doctor used his cane to pull himself up from the stairs, grunting painfully with the effort as the Hatter slowly climbed onto her feet, closing her eyes briefly at the wave of dizziness that washed over her. She wrapped her arm around his waist, helping to support him and, in turn, leaning some of her own weight against his.

"Okay, then," she looked back to the robot, trying to give the Doctor a chance to catch his breath, "So we apparently have to die, but why? Who's trying to murder us?"

"The Silence".

"What is the Silence?" the Doctor asked, frowning deeply, "Why is it called that? What does it mean?"

"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order, or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked".

"What question?" the Hatter said through her hanky.

"The first question. The oldest question in the Universe, hidden in plain sight".

"Well, clearly not plain _enough_ ," she huffed, annoyed and frustrated, "Just tell us what the question is?"

"Unknown".

"Oh, well," the Doctor scoffed, exchanging a look with the Time Lady, "Fat lot of use that is, you big ginge. Call yourself a records…argh!" he suddenly cried out collapsed onto the floor, dropping the cane as he clutched at his chest. The Hatter fell beside him, landing on her knees with a wince, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer to her, both of them shaking with pain, "Ah," he groaned, pulling back slightly to look at her face, ignoring the blood trickling down her chin, "Kidneys are always the first to quit," he said to her, closing his eyes tightly and resting his forehead against hers, "I've had better, you know".

"You and your kidney's…" the Hatter muttered fondly, somehow managing to laugh faintly, though it pained her. The bleeding was getting worse, as was the pain in her head. At this point, she truly had no idea if she would be able to survive his death, regardless of what he said, physically her body could easily give out on her under the strain, if her mind didn't first.

Melody suddenly screamed in pure agony, making them both jump and look back over to see that the field surrounding her had turned bright red, almost seeming to be burning her as she thrashed violently on the spot.

"Amy!" the Time Lady called urgently, looking hurriedly back to the robot, feeling her hearts breaking at the sound of Melody's screams, "Rory, please! Can you hear us?"

"What do we do?" the robot questioned quickly, sounding a little bit more like Amy with actual emotion colouring the robot's voice, "This is _me_! This is me actually talking, what do we do?"

"Stop them," she urged them, clutching the Doctor closer to her, her voice growing weaker, "Please, this is your daughter, you _child_. It's _you_ responsibility to protect her".

"How?" she asked frantically, "How?"

"Figure it out!"

A minute passed by, when the energy field holding Melody suddenly disappeared, releasing her. She gasped for breath, her eyes wide as she stared back across the room to the Time Lords, half bent over.

"Please…" the Doctor half pleaded, looking weakly up to her, "Now we have to save your parents".

"It's okay," the Hatter said gently, wiping more blood from her chin and nose, ignoring the disgusting coppery taste, "It's all right to be scared, but running away isn't the answer. Never ever run from your fears, Melody, stand up and face them head on. Rule seven. Please…" she closed her eyes tightly, the pain growing more intense.

The closer that the Doctor came to his own death, the weaker she was growing, almost as if she had been poisoned herself. She couldn't feel his pain, that wasn't how the connection between them worked; this was just simply how the United processes worked if one of the pair began to die. The bleeding came first, then the pain and weakness, and then, lastly, she would start to slip unconscious, possibly never to wake again. Time Lords didn't just die when it came to their final death, it could take days for a Time Lord to slowly slip away, miserable and in pain, sometimes it could even take longer depending on how they died. She remembered when her Grandmother had died, she had only been three, four years old at the time and her father had taken her into her Grandmother's chamber to see her on her deathbed. It had terrified her, to see once such a strong and commanding woman reduced to a frail, half conscious state, almost seeming to be completely colourless as she slowly slipped away. She had nightmares about it for years, but at least this time the Doctor's death would be quick. The poison was toxic enough to see to that, but it would still have killed him a lot sooner if he had been human.

"Hatter, can you help us?" the robot called suddenly, making the Hatter blink groggily and force herself to open her eyes again. She and the Doctor had both slipped onto the floor, the Doctor on his stomach and the Hatter curled on her side, only just strong enough to keep holding each other's hands, "Doctor? Help us! Doctor, Hatter, help us! Please!"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open, struggling to lift his head off the hard marble floor to glance at the Hatter, who was blinking slowly back at him. He tried to pull himself up and the Hatter weakly moved to try and help him, the two of them desperately trying to get back up, Amy's pleas for help spurring them on as they finally managed to get back up, stumbling over towards the stairs that the TARDIS was parked above. They needed to get to them, they needed them, but they only made it a few steps before the Doctor groaned painfully and collapsed on the stairs, the Hatter slipping onto the floor beside him, but that didn't stop them. They still kept fighting to try and pull themselves up the stairs, regardless of the pain. They _couldn't_ give up, not when Amy and Rory still needed them.

"Doctor!" the robot cried out, "Hatter, help!"

Melody watched them desperately trying to drag themselves up the stairs, sitting at one of the tables. Even though she had been trained to kill them for a long as she could remember, she couldn't help admiring their determination to keep going, to keep fighting even when they had already lost, "Look at you," she said quietly, "You still care".

"Hatter, help! Doctor, help us! Please help us!"

The Hatter groaned her foot slipping useless against the floor. She reached out desperately for the TARDIS, but she couldn't keep moving, there was no chance that she was going to be able to make it any further. The pain was growing worse and tears slipped down her face, mingling with the blood that was slowly dripping from her nose and ears, dripping onto the flood beneath her head. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, she couldn't even sense the baby now, she was in such a weakened state. It terrified her.

"It's impressive," Melody remarked, eyeing them, "I'll give you that".

"River…" the Doctor gasped out, his arm outreached towards the time machine, "Please…"

"Again?" she shook her head, standing, "Who is this River?" she frowned, stepping closer to them, "She's got to be a woman. Am I right?"

"Please, just help us," the Hatter breathed, her voice trembling, "Help Amy and Rory, please. I beg you, help us".

"Tell me about her. Go on".

"Oh, _just_ …!" he growled in frustration, when he stopped, staring helplessly back up at the TARDIS, "Help us…" he murmured weakly.

….

Amy and Rory stood before the eyes of the robot, staring back at the robotic jellyfish-like creatures called Antibodies as they advanced on them, trying to kill them. It had been Amy's way of trying to get them out, but it seemed to be starting to backfire just a little bit on them now.

"You are unauthorised," the Antibodies told them, "You are unauthorised. Your death will now be implemented," electricity started crackling around the tentacles.

Amy turned to Rory, her expression softening, "I love you".

"I love you, too," Rory pulled her into a tight hug, burying his head into her neck…just as a very familiar wheezing noise sounded.

They blinked and looked up, stunned as the TARDIS materialised around them, the two of them suddenly finding themselves standing in the console room, right in front of the doors.

"Doctor?" Amy called, her eyes wide as she looked around, "Hatter?" she blinked, realising that they were safe, breaking into a broad smile, "You did it," she looked back to Rory, both of them laughing in delight, "They did it!"

Melody stepped out from behind the console as they looked over, their smiles dimming in confusion. She looked a bit shocked, "I seem to be able to fly her," she said slowly, glancing back at the console, "The Hatter…she told me just to listen and not be afraid, that the TARDIS would show me how to fly her as a child of the TARDIS…" she swallowed, almost tearfully as she looked back over to Amy and Rory, "What does she mean?"

"Where are they?" Amy asked.

…

Amy knelt beside the Doctor as he laid on his back on the stairs, looking weakly up at her face, while Rory knelt beside the Hatter on the other side of the Doctor, the Time Lady trembling as she laid on her side, her eyes closed tightly, clutching at her stomach. Blood covered her checks and chin.

"You can't die now," Amy whispered to the Doctor, taking his hand, trying to give him a smile, "I _know_ you don't die now".

"Oh, Pond," he said weakly, still managing to sound fond, "You've got a schedule for everything".

She shook her head, frowning, "But it doesn't make sense".

"What do we do?" Rory looked quickly between the Time Lords, his voice soft, "Come on," he tried to give the Hatter a small shake, but she remained unresponsive, her eyes tightly closed. He swallowed and looked back over to the Doctor, who had turned his head slightly to try and look at the Time Lady, "How do we help you?" he tried.

"No," the Doctor breathed, not taking his eyes off the Hatter's face, not wanting to look away from her for a moment, "Sorry, Rory, you can't. Nobody can," he grimaced as he used the last of his strength to reach out to touch the Hatter's stomach, pulling his eyes back up to Rory and Amy, "Ponds, listen to me," he continued slowly, "I need to talk to your daughter".

Amy swallowed and looked over to Melody, before nodding and climbing onto her feet, moving around to crouch beside her husband, reaching down to place her hand on the Hatter's trembling shoulder. Melody walked closer to the Doctor and knelt down in the spot that Amy had just left, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Find her," he told her, staring up into her face, "Find River Song and tell her something from me and the Hatter".

"Tell her what?" she leaned closer to him so that he could whisper in her ear, making her smile softly, laughing faintly, "Well, I'm sure she knows…" she pulled back, looking down at him.

He turned his head and looked back over to the Hatter, "I love you…" he trailed off as his eyes slipped shut, the last image in his mind of the Hatter as he breathed his last breath…

The Hatter's eyes snapped open and she suddenly screamed a loud, agonising noise that ripped through Amy, Rory, and Melody, filled with so much pain and heartache, like nothing any of them had ever heard before. Her hands flew up to her head, almost pulling her hair out as her fingers tangled in it, her entire body shaking. The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced, more than just physical, it felt like someone had just cracked her skull open and was tearing her brain apart from the inside out as her link with the Doctor was slowly, agonisingly severed from her mind. Her chest felt empty, an all consuming void of nothingness that was felt like it was trying to swallow her whole. She just wanted to die, the pain and emptiness was so bad that she half pleaded for death, anything to stop this feeling, when…everything just stopped.

Rory lowered his hands from his ringing ears as Amy and Melody stared down at the still Time Lady in shock and horror, "What the…" he shook his head, his instincts as a nurse kicking in, and he quickly leant over the Hatter, "Hatter!" he called urgently, feeling lost as to what to even do, "Hatter, can you hear me?"

"He's gone," she sobbed, her eyes tightly closed, still grasping at her head, "He's gone…he's gone….he's gone…" she broke off with a shuddering gasp, her eyes flying open and her hand shot out, grabbing the front of Rory's shirt. Her eyes were unfocused and she hardly even seemed to see him, "The baby, safe it…" she managed to get out, her voice strained with pain, but she was so desperate. She needed to know that the baby would be safe, no matter what happened to her, the baby was the only thing that mattered to her now, "Something…happens to me…save it…"

Amy moved forward, tears running down her face, "We will," she assured her, unable to stand to see the desperation and grief on her face. She knew how important that need was, the need to know that your child was going to be okay, "Whatever happens, we'll take care of it," she looked frantically back to Rory as the Hatter nodded weakly, growing still, painfully so, "What do we do? _Rory_?"

"I…" Rory blinked, looking completely lost. He was just a nurse; he didn't know how to handle a pregnant Time Lady who was in…well, whatever the hell you called this state. The Hatter's pulse was racing, faster than it ever should be, but then again she also had two hearts, so how could he really make a judgment on what was normal and what wasn't? And as for the baby, he didn't have any equipment to even try and see if it was all right. He was so far out of his depth right now that he felt like he was drowning, "I don't know," he shook his head, at last, looking helpless back to Amy's pale, frightened face, "Amy, I _don't_ know!"

"River," her head snapped over to Melody, who was watching the scene with a horrified expression, "Help us, please," she begged, knowing that if anyone might be able to help them now, " _Please_!"

Melody jumped slightly, startled, "Who's River Song?" she asked, very quietly, feeling a horrible sensation starting to wash over her.

Amy almost growled in sheer frustration and jumped onto her feet, hurrying over to the robotic replica of herself, "Are you still working?" she said to her, speaking fast, "Because I'm still a relative. Access files on River Song".

"Records available," the robot replied.

"Show me her. Show me River Song".

Melody watched on in sickening realisation as the robot transformed into a slightly younger looking version of herself, curly blonde hair and all. She blinked back tears as she looked back down to the two prone bodies on the ground before her, one of them the man that she had just murdered, the other his pregnant wife that she had either just killed, or condemned to a life of absolute misery and pain. And then there was the child, the innocent, tiny life that she was supposed to take with her in order to win her freedom, the life that she had quite possibly destroyed.

Even at the end, even after everything that she had done, they had still trusted her enough to tell her how to use the TARDIS, they had still asked _her_ to help _them_. She had been raised to believe that they were the enemy, that they had to be stopped and that she would be doing it for the good of the Universe, but they hadn't seemed like they were evil, far from it. What had she done?

"I…didn't…" Melody swallowed, shaking her head as she looked back to her parents, "I think…I might be able to fix this…" she turned back to the Time Lords as Amy and Rory frowned, watching as her hand began to glow.

"What's happening?" Amy asked, eyeing the energy swirling around her hand, "River, what are you doing?"

Melody looked back down to the Doctor, both hands glowing now, "Just tell me, the Doctor and the Hatter…are they worth it?"

She blinked, looking back to Rory, hope flaring inside her, "Yes!" she said quickly, nodding almost frantically, "Yes, mhmm. They are".

She smiled faintly and reached out with her glowing hands, gently cupping his face as she leaned over him. The moment her hands touched his skin, the Doctor gasped and his eyes flew open as, beside him, the Hatter's eyes flew open, her hands dropping almost instantly from her head to stare back across to Melody. She slowly struggled to pull herself up right, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"River…" the Doctor breathed, looking up into Melody's face, "No…what are you doing?"

"River, do you have any idea what you would be giving up?" the Hatter said weakly, her voice hoarse from the screaming.

Melody gave them a small, sad smile, "Yes, I do," she nodded, only looking more determined, "And I do it gladly," she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the Doctor's, closing her eyes tightly as she released the regeneration into him.

….

Amy and Rory sat by Melody's bedside in the sterile white hospital room, waiting for their daughter to finally wake. Amy broke into a smile as she noticed Melody's eyes slowly opening, blinking blearily against the lights of the room, "Hey," she greeted her happily.

Melody sleepily licked her dry lips, "Hey…" she murmured, wincing again at the bright light, feeling like she was lying on something very soft and warm, "Where am I?" she asked after a moment.

"You're safe now," she reassured her, still smiling softly, "Apparently, you used all of your remaining regenerations in one go," she tried to give her a scolding look, but her smile ruined it, "You shouldn't have done that".

"Mother…I had to try".

"I know".

"He said no-one could save him, but they must have known _I_ could".

"Rule one," the Doctor's voice carried through the room, making them all look across to see him and the Hatter, now cleaned up, standing hand-in-hand by the window, "The Doctor and the Hatter lie".

The Hatter let go of his hand, giving him a small smile and kiss when he made a sound of protest, not wanting to let go of her for a second after everything that had happened. She moved across to the side of the bed and sat down, reaching out to take Melody's uncovered hand as it rested on the covers, "We lied to protect you," she told her gently as Melody tiredly looked up into her face, a small, sleepy smile playing across her lips, "We knew the risk that it would place you in and the great cost to you. We couldn't let you pay that, not for us".

"Even after everything…I did?" she breathed.

"We can't help how we are raised," she said softly, carefully picking up her arm and tucking it beneath her blankest, just as she did when she was a baby. She carefully smothered out the covers as she continued, "We just simply have to strive to be better for it," she leant forward and placed a kiss onto her forehead, smiling faintly as she drew back to see Melody's eyes slip closed, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

"She just needs to rest," the nurse said from the doorway, a clipboard held in her hands as she watched over Melody. The Doctor reached into his tweed blazer pocket, stepping over to the bedside table, "She'll be absolutely fine".

"No, she won't," the Doctor shook his head, looking down at River's face with a small frown. He pulled a brand new, unmarked TARDIS diary from his pocket, a red ribbon tied around it, and sat it down on the table, "She will be amazing".

He looked back over to the Hatter and she gave him a small smile.

…

"So that's it?" Amy frowned slightly as she and Rory walked up the console steps, their arms wrapped around each other, looking over to where the Doctor was moving around the controls, while the Hatter sat on one of the jump-seats. She was frowning very slightly to herself, one hand resting on her stomach, "We just…leave her there?" she looked between the two of them.

"Sisters of the Infinite Schism," the Doctor remarked, pulling his eyes off the monitor screen to look over to them, "Greatest hospital in the Universe".

"She'll be well cared for there," the Hatter told them, giving them a comforting smile. She rolled the sleeves of her top up to her elbows, "Plus, they have very nice jelly, the red one is my personal favourite," she added brightly.

Amy sighed slightly, still not looking entirely pleased, "Yeah, but she's our daughter," she reminded them, "She's River _and_ she's our daughter".

"Amy, we know," he turned to face her properly, sighing heavily, "But we have to let her make her own way now," he glanced passed her and over to the Hatter, both thinking about how they had first meet River, back in the Library and how that had all ended. It was a thought that had been weighing on them both ever since learning of Melody's future and exactly who she would grow up to be.

The Hatter rose from her chair, a bit wobbly, and moved to stand by the Doctor's side, "Foreknowledge can be a very dangerous thing," she said quietly, her expression growing grim as she looked up at the monitor screen.

There was a picture of the Doctor and her, very clearly not pregnant, standing together, while on the other side of the screen there was the date and time of their deaths, even the location: Lake Silencio, Utah. They had managed to gather the information from the robot, which was apparently called the Teselecta, and while it might not have been a great deal of information, it was more than enough.

Amy frowned, seeing them staring at something on the screen, "What's that?' she tried to get a peek, not liking how grim and troubled they both looked.

"Nothing!" the Doctor said quickly, flicking a switch and turning the monitor off before she got a chance to see, "Just some data we downloaded from the Teselecta," he tried to shrug it off, giving them a smile, "Very boring".

"Doctor, Hatter…" Rory began as Amy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "River was brainwashed to kill you two, right?"

"Technically, she _did_ succeeded," the Hatter commented with a small, troubled frown, glancing at the Doctor as he took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. She hated thinking about the fact that he had died, right in front of her and she had been completely helpless, unable to do anything to prevent it. She wouldn't have even been able to try and save him with her own regeneration energy, not while she was pregnant and also because she simply didn't have enough left.

"But she didn't," the Doctor said pointedly to her, which she sighed and nodded, trying to brighten herself up a bit more with the knowledge that he _was_ okay. He looked back to Amy and Rory, "River used her remaining lives to bring me back, saving the Hatter at the same time…"

Rory was still frowning, "But that stuff they put in her head, is that gone now?" he asked worriedly, looking between them, "The River that _we_ know in the future, she is in prison for killing _two_ people".

"Whose murders?" Amy frowned, hating the idea of her baby growing up to be a killer. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, before he broke into a broad smile and took off around the console, making Amy smile faintly as Rory shook his head, "Will we see her again?" she raised her eyebrows, looking at the Time Lady.

"Oh, I imagine that we'll see her again, soon enough," the Hatter shrugged, moving around the couple to stand by the base of the stairs that led up to the upper levels of the TARDIS, the Doctor soon joining her and taking her hand again, "We always do, she loves to turn up out of the blue," she winked back to the humans.

"Yeah, but how?" she sighed, turning to watch as the Time Lords headed up the stairs, stopping at the top, "How do people even look for you?"

"Oh, Pond," the Doctor smiled, spinning back around to look down to them, "Haven't you figured that one out yet?" he turned back around and disappeared around the corner with the Hatter, but they had only gone a short distance before the Hatter came to a stop, making him pause and look back to her, "What's wrong?" he frowned, eyeing her face closely.

The Hatter placed her hand on the wall, half leaning against it, her face looking sickly pale, "I'm not feeling quite…right," she said slowly, before shaking her head and meeting his eyes, giving him a weak smile, "I think I just need to rest for a little while, sweetheart".

"Good idea," he nodded quickly, wrapping his arm around her waist, starting to guide her off down the hallway with the intention to take her to their room. He had her checked out the moment they had got back to the TARDIS, and amazingly, aside from high blood pressure and her pulse being a little erratic, though not worryingly so, she had been perfectly fine, "You and me, we'll get under the blankets, I can read you a bit of 'Alice in Wonderland,' how about that?" he suggested eagerly, knowing how much she loved that book.

"Sounds like a lovely idea…" she trailed off, her voice soft, when her legs suddenly gave way beneath her and she sagged in his arms.

"Hatter!" he cried, clutching her tightly to him as he sunk onto the floor with her, her head lolling onto her shoulder with her eyes closed, completely limp. He stared down at her face, shocked that she had just collapsed like that, without any warning, "Hatter, please, open your eyes," he begged, using his right hand to lightly tap her cheek, her very hot cheek, "Hatter!" still, nothing happened, she remained completely limp in his arms, her breathing and heart rates slow, painfully so, her skin boiling hot to touch, "No, no, no, just wake up!" he tried to give her a little shake, but her head only lolled limply on to the side, "Rory!" he shouted frantically back down the hallway, "Amy!"

 _ **Insert evil laughter here…or is that a bit soon? I have to admit, this chapter turned out different to how I originally planned it, originally River was going to inject the Hatter with something to induce her labour early, but it just didn't seem to fit and as I reached the end of this chapter, I realised that I had an even better idea. That, and I do enjoy being dramatic and teasing you guy's, though I am a little worried that you might hunt me down now. I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens next. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_ _ **(Blimey, 16 of them! Thank you so much)**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Have I considered doing a story about the Ninth Doctor and Hatter? I've thought about it, but I don't know. For some reason it just doesn't spark anything in my head right now, it might later on, though. But at this point it's doubtful that I will write a story like that, but I do try to say never when it comes to writing.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **The Doctor forgetting the Hatter is something I've thought about, but it was more the Hatter forgetting the Doctor for something like a one-shot. It's on my mental list of one-shot ideas that I have.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **Hmm, the Hatter's reaction to putting a bunch of teenager's in danger during Class is an interesting question. She would be concerned, of course, just as she was a little bit with Sarah Jane's own little band of friends, but I personally can't see her just letting the kid's go without supervision. She would keep tabs over them, but I also think it's one of those things that she would see as having to let them make their own mistakes and learn for themselves, but she wouldn't just let them go without keeping an eye on them. It's kind of hard to say exactly how she would react, though, because it is just so far into the future and we're talking about a version of her that I don't even know yet what colour hair she'll have, let alone how she might react to something like this.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **If the Hatter ended up trapped in Pete's world, I think she would have forced herself to carry on. She probably would have tried to build herself something so that she could go off world; it's hard to think of her as staying put for long. I think she would have tried to make the best of what she had, regardless of how much she would miss the Doctor, but you have to remember that at that point she didn't realise her feelings for him.**_

 _ **As for how the Doctor would react, he would be devastated, I mean, he got her back for a brief moment only to lose her again. It would be like she had dyed all over again and I think that he would ended up resenting Rose. He would see it as being her fault that the Hatter sacrificed herself and I imagine that it would probably be the end of the road for those two, I don't think the Doctor would be able to keep travelling with Rose after something like that.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **Well, it's hard to say how she would react to Missy being locked away inside the Vault, we just don't know enough details about it yet, so at this point I really couldn't say.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **The Hatter's friendship with Bill…hmm, I don't know yet. There's always a bit of mothering between the Hatter and her friends, I think, she always tries to protect them and look out for them, and with Bill losing her mother I think that the Hatter would probably feel like it was her obligation to keep an eye on Bill's welfare even more, but then there's also the relationship between the Doctor and Bill's mother, so until we find out what that it is, it's hard to be able to say what their relationship would be like.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **Ah, but the Hatter wasn't a human at that point. She was found in 2012 (I really hope I have that correct, it's been four years now), and she had been a human for five years, so that would mean that she ended up on Earth, a human, in 2007, if my very quick and hopefully math is correct, I apologise if it's not. I'm rubbish at maths. But, if Jack did find her in 2007 and worked with him at Torchwood until the Sound of Drum's takes place, that would mean that she would probably have been there for a very short time and would probably would have worked alongside own as a doctor. She probably would have found Jack's flirting amusing, if a little annoying at times and I imagine that the Doctor wouldn't be very impressed with Jack once he found out and the Hatter was back.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **What is the most impossible thing that the Hatter has seen or been through, probably, in her mind, being able to survivor the loss of not just one child, but five…and possibly more, but you'll have to wait and see. She would never think that she would be able to keep travelling and living without her children still being alive and the end of the Time War really does bring that all up and is at the heart of why she didn't leave with the Doctor when he begged her to.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **In all of the Hatter's adventures, probably the thing that continues to affect her the most is seeing the pain of others and witnessing any time that a child is hurt or worse. She's very empathic, when she sees someone hurting, even if she doesn't know them, it affects her deeply and her first instinct is always to try and help them, regardless of the risk to her own life. Children have become a very sensitive topic for her ever since the Time War, but even before then she still felt very deeply if she witnessed one in pain.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **Who's to say that her mother hasn't survived, but is simply still on Gallifrey? Personally, I can't see the Hatter's mother chasing her down, that's just not her, she's a high ranking Lady of noble birth, after all. She would never do her own dirty work like that; she would send someone else to track her daughter down. But, if she had managed to find the Hatter, it would be quite a short story. The Hatter would be quite eager to be on her way and away from her mother, I'm afraid that the Time War did nothing to bring them closer, if anything it probably only made them grow even more distant, though the Hatter does still miss her mother, but is it the woman she misses or the idea of her? That's to be seen yet.**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **I don't know, really, I mean, of course all of the events that have happened over the past several years would have had an effect of her, but I think she would probably just take it all in her stride. She's been battling to protect the Universe and the Earth for centuries, but I'm not sure if she would see it in the same way as we do as viewers of the show. After all, we know that these events take place over a season and end in a big finish at the end of the season, for her it's just simply her life and these events happen, be it a little more frequently than in the past.**_

 _ **Guest (12):**_ _ **If the Silence had managed to get the Hatter while she was human and trained her to hate the Doctor, and then she end dup becoming herself again, I think she would be horrified by what had been done. I think that she would be deeply conflicted by the psychological trauma that being told that the Doctor was evil would have on her, compared to the man and memories of him that she has. She would know that he wasn't bad, that he was her best friend, but there would still be a part of her that would still feel that urge to try and kill him. It would probably take a great deal of time for her to start to heal, depending on if she regenerated or not, and the Doctor would desperately try and help her and prove to her that he truly was the same man that she remembered him to be.**_

 _ **Guest (13):**_ _ **The Hatter's reaction to the Monk's is very hard to try and picture for me at the moment, given how far it is into the future, however, I do think that she would be very wary of them and probably confused as to exactly what their motives were, and why they had picked the Earth.**_

 _ **Guest (14):**_ _ **Goodness, there are just so many choices that she has made over the centuries to effect her life, giving the Doctor the Moment, not leaving with him when he asked her during the Time War, not telling him her feelings for him, refusing to travel with him for all those centuries…well, I guess if you're asking what would be the biggest choice that's effected**_ _ **all**_ _ **of her lives, it would probably be her choice not to run away with the Doctor before her first wedding. They had planned to leave Gallifrey after school, but her marriage had prevented them and as a result, she also ended up having four of her children, which have left possibly the biggest impact upon her life, aside from befriending the Doctor, of course. Her first marriage, while horrible for her, also taught her a great deal about herself and made her quite resolute, it made her stronger for it, forced her to grow up from the innocent and naive little girl and become more like the Hatter that was know today.**_

 _ **Guest (15):**_ _ **The Hatter would have been disgusted to see Romana tossed aside and Rassilon take her place. It would have appalled her and deeply angered her. Romana and her would have been very close during the Time War, the Hatter would have acted as her advisors of sorts given her extensive knowledge of Gallifreyan politics and Romana knowing that the Hatter's advice would be pure and without any attempts to try and better herself, given the Hatter's dislike for power and political gain. The Hatter would have hated having to work for Rassilon after what he had done to Romana and her feelings would have only grown worse after learning what he was planning to do and him having her practically placed under house arrest for her own protection after her laboratory was destroyed.**_

 _ **Guest (16):**_ _ **You know, it's really hard for me to pick a favourite season finale, I'm not really sure if I have one, I guess my top ones would be 'Name of the Doctor' and probably 'Hell Bent,' since I love any episode of Doctor Who that's set of Gallifrey. Those episodes are always my favourite ones.**_


	20. Chapter 20 Heartache

_**Heartache**_

The Doctor sat on the steps of the console, his head buried in his hands as silent tears slipped down his cheeks. He slowly lifted his head, looking blankly across to the Time Rotor as it moved up and down, not really seeing it, lost in his own thoughts…

…

 _Amy and Roy bolted into the hallway, coming to a skidding stop as they caught sight of the Doctor slowly climbing onto his feet, holding the Hatter in his arms, her face pale and her eyes closed, as if she was sleeping. Her hat was still lying on the ground, but the Doctor didn't even seem to notice it as he looked up to them at the gasp of shock that came from Amy at the sight._

" _Help me," he said helplessly, looking back down the Hatter's still face._

" _What happened?" Rory asked worriedly, his eyes wide._

" _She, er…" he swallowed, hard, blinking rapidly, "She collapsed. She wasn't feeling well and she just…" he trailed off, his voice caught in his throat, feeling completely lost. He needed the Hatter, he needed her to be there to remind him to focus and not get caught up in his own emotions._

 _Amy stepped forward and put a hand on the Doctor's arm, seeing his expression, "Doctor," she said, forcing herself to stay calm, trying to think of what the Hatter would do. His head snapped up to meet her eyes, his eyes filled with tears, "Focus, this is the Hatter. She needs you to be calm and focused right now"._

 _The Doctor sniffed and nodded, pushing away the panic and fear he felt, knowing that she was right. He needed to stop thinking about how he felt and think about what the Hatter needed, which was medical attention. Fast, "Come with me," he muttered, turning on his heel and almost running down the hallway, not even pausing to see if they would follow, the footsteps behind him told him that they had._

 _They made it to the infirmary and he raced inside, gently placing the Hatter onto the bed in the middle of the room. The Doctor immediately began attaching little silver dots to the Hatter's neck, medical sensors as, across the room, a large projection appeared on the blank white wall of a double heart rate that was fair slower then it ought to be, with a third line below that appeared: the baby's. That was moving faster than it should, the baby very obviously in a great deal of distress._

" _What do we do, Doctor?" Amy moved straight to stand by the side of the bed, wanting to do whatever she possibly could to help the Hatter. She couldn't bear to see her just lying there, limp and so pale, she almost looked like she was…she stopped herself from thinking any further. The Doctor needed her and Rory right now; they had to be just as calm about this as him._

" _Ah, Doctor…" Rory said in a strange voice, stepping up beside his wife, his eyes fixed on the Hatter's leg, "That's blood…" he pointed._

 _The Doctor quickly leaned over to see a long, red smeared line running down the Hatter's leg, coming from beneath her skirt. There was more blood, not much, but easy to see through the bright orange tights that she had worn that day, rather than her blue ones._

 _Amy's eyes widened in horror as her head snapped up to see the Doctor's face pale almost as much as the Hatter's, "Please tell me that's old blood," she half pleaded. It wasn't so hard to imagine that the blood could have come from when the Hatter had a bloody nose._

" _Rory," the Doctor said in a forced voice, speaking very quickly, "Set up a IV," he ordered him, and Rory quickly moved to do just that, having a fairly good idea of where everything was already, "Amy," he turned to her, "There's several blood bags in the fridge over there, get two of them and give them to Rory"._

" _What's happening to her?" she asked urgently, running over to where a small bar fridge was sitting in the corner of the room. She pulled the door open and pulled a face as she looked inside to see several blood bags stacked neatly inside, the Hatter's neat, cursive handwriting jotted across the white label part of the bags._

" _She's haemorrhaging," he replied, speaking fast, so fast that Amy and Rory were both finding it hard to keep up with. He pulled his blazer off, tossing it careless off to the side of the room and pulled his sleeves up, before frantically washing and soaping his hands and arms up to his elbows, like he was about to perform a surgery, "Her body couldn't take the strain of what happened earlier, it was just too much for it to take," he sighed heavily, still scrubbing his hands so roughly with the soap that Rory was a bit afraid that he was going to end up taking a layer of skin off, "She was probably bleeding slowly before now, she barely would have even noticed. That, combined with the blood loss from before…"_

" _What about the baby?" Rory frowned, grabbing the blood bags off Amy as she dashed back over, hooking the bags up onto the hooks of the IV, before setting to work preparing to insert the needle connected to the bags into the Hatter's arm, inwardly apologising as he broke her skin and, thankfully, managed to hit her very visible vain straight away._

 _The Doctor paused, looking back over to them, "We have to get it out, now," he swallowed, once again trying desperately to shut the panic and fear out of his head. The Hatter needed him, their baby needed him, he had to be at his very best right now. For them. He turned around and grabbed a sterile thing of paper tales, being sure not to touch anything that he wasn't completely sure was sterile. He looked back up to Amy and Rory, seeing them staring back at him in alarm, "If we don't, then…they'll both die"._

" _Isn't it…too soon?" Amy said carefully, casting her eyes worriedly over the Hatter. She knew that she still had a little while left to go and this was nothing like she knew that the Time Lords had planned. They were supposed to have two of their old friends here to do this, not her and Rory._

" _We don't have a choice; we don't have the luxury of waiting"._

" _Okay," Rory nodded, glancing at Amy, who was looking quite pale at the idea of them having to operate on someone, but he was less fazed by it, even if it wasn't exactly his area of nursing. But it was the Hatter, she would have done this in a heartbeat for Amy, he knew that without a doubt. He looked back to the Doctor, "Tell us what to do and we'll do it. Right, Amy?" he glanced at her._

 _Amy licked her lips and shifted on the spot, but when she meet the Doctor's desperate, pleading green eyes and glanced back down to the Hatter's prone body, she already knew that her mind was made up, "Right," she agreed, nodding._

….

There had been so much blood, the smell of it filling the room, and if he never smelt that again, he would live happily. He was glad that the Hatter had been unconscious. Rory had helped him while Amy had been charged with watching the projection screen with the Hatter and the Baby's vitals' signs closely, since she didn't have any medical training and, well, she had turned a rather unpleasant green colour when she had seen the Doctor cut into the Hatter's stomach with a piece of advanced medical equipment.

And then…the most beautiful sound he had heard filled the room, the very first cry of his baby as it was welcomed into the world. It was such a blur, but he was quite certain that he had burst into tears, staring down at the tiny, pink little slimy bundle in his arms for the very first time. He only wished that the Hatter had been awake to have witnessed the moment, but he knew that he would be able to show it to her later. She would never forgive him if he kept something that important to them both from her just because she had been sleeping at the time.

Through the tears slipping down his cheeks, he managed to still smile as he thought back…

…

 _The Hatter had been moved to their bedroom, still attached to the IV with a half empty blood bag slowly replenishing the blood that she had lost during the rather messy birth. The Doctor had thought that she would prefer to wake up in their room, in her own bed, surrounded by the things that they both loved, rather than the sterile and slightly cold infirmary, so with Amy and Rory's help, he had her moved. He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, staring softly down at the tiny bundle in his arms, his finger tightly clasped in its little fist as it slept peacefully. He just couldn't stop staring down at that face, his hearts melting._

 _The Hatter shifted slightly in her sleep and he dragged his eyes over to see her groggily opening her eyes, grimacing even in the very dim light of the room. He saw the panic that crossed her face as she instantly realised that she was missing something, her hands flying straight towards her stomach above the sheets_

" _Shh," he said gently, making her eyes snap over to him, widening in shock as they flickered down to rest on the blankets in his arms, "It's okay," he assured her, breaking into a wide, watery smile as he noticed how her eyes were completely glued to the baby, "Everything is all right"._

" _Is that…" she began weakly, her voice growing choked with emotion. She could sense it, the pull to her child, the desperate need to hold and protect it, the tugging of its mind against hers. Time Lords and their children were mentally linked, even more so between a naturally born child and parent, rather than Loomed. She could even sense that the baby was sleeping, that it was calm and very peaceful, happy. The first few hours of a new Time Lords life were some of the most important, they had to have physical contact with their mother or else it would cause irreversible damage to their psych, since that first contact with the mother was what gave the child its link to her. Without that link….well, the Master's mother died during childbirth with him, perhaps if he had been given the chance to have that contact to his mother before her death then he wouldn't have turned out half as bad as he had._

 _He grinned and carefully stood, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, "Say hello to your daughter," he told her, carefully shifting the baby in his arms to place her across into the Hatter's waiting ones._

 _The Hatter cradled her in her arms, tears of pure delight and joy slipping down her face as she took in her daughter's tiny face for the very first time, feeling the instant warmth of love and affection spark in the back of her mind as the connection was made between them, "Our daughter," she breathed, shaking her head slowly, unable to look away._

 _She had a very fine smattering of brown hair covering her tiny head, but the Hatter could already see the outline of eyebrows and the rather long, thick eyelashes covering her eyes. Her nose looked like it favoured her own one, even though it was still a bit early to say, but she could also see a bit of the Doctor around her eyes, though she had thankfully inherited the Hatter's small, pointed chin rather than her father's rather large one._

" _She's perfect," she laughed quietly, finally dragging her eyes off her daughter to look at the Doctor, who was grinning so broadly she was quite positive it must be hurting._

" _That she is," he agreed, nodding, "And she's got a pair of lungs on her. She was very demanding that she saw her 'Mummy Overlord"._

 _The Hatter blinked, giving him a strange look, "'Mummy Overlord?'" she repeated slowly._

 _He shrugged, still smiling, "That's our daughter for you, dear. I did tell her that it was Mummy, but she didn't think that suited you and preferred Mummy Overlord"._

" _Oh, blimey," she groaned, closing her eyes tightly and shaking her head, "She's already got an altitude on her and she's only…"_

" _One hour old," he supplied for her._

 _She opened her eyes, giving him a pointed look, "I blame you"._

" _Please, that was so you"._

" _Okay, so maybe just a little bit," she grinned, laughing softly. She was a bit afraid of just what other traits their daughter might have got from them now, "Speaking of her rather sudden arrival…" she continued a bit slower, frowning deeply at him, "What happened?"_

 _The Doctor smile slipped off his lips, "You collapsed," he informed her, his voice growing grim, "You were bleeding, the only way to save you both was…"_

" _Getting her out of me," the Hatter cut across him, grimacing slightly at the thought. She vaguely remembered feeling suddenly very weak and everything turning black, but she didn't remember feeling any pain or anything else._

" _Amy and Rory helped me. If it wasn't for them I would have…well, they kept me focused"._

" _Where are they?"_

" _Bed, I expect. They were both exhausted"._

 _The Hatter nodded, looking back down into her baby's face, reaching up to move the pink blankets back slightly so that she could get a better look at her face. She had already been dressed in what looked like a pale pink jumpsuit; she suspected Amy's doing, for some strange reason. Though, she couldn't help feeling very happy to see the small little pale pink beanie resting just on top of her head. Her daughter was going to wear a hat…for as long she could possibly help it, anyway, toddlers did have a tendency to throw hats or other pieces of clothing off themselves when the mood struck them. She smiled and looked back up to the Doctor, who leant forward and captured her lips, kissing her deeply for a long moment before pulling away, both turning their attention back down onto the sleeping baby in the Hatter's arms._

" _You know…" the Doctor began, "We do need to come up with a name. We can't just keep calling her 'baby,' she's already got a bit annoyed about that"._

" _Those teenage years are going to be hell with this one, aren't they?" the Hatter sighed, before nodding, "But yes, I agree with you. Shouldn't be too hard, we have a whole list of names to pick from"._

 _He glanced back up to her face, licking his lips, "Well, you know my top pick for girls name…"_

" _We are not calling her Ariana, Doctor, end of discussion"._

" _Hatter…"_

" _No," she said firmly, fixing him with a look, "Besides, that was my first daughter's middle name, it feels like tempting fate naming her after one of our past children, even if the idea of acknowledging them in such a way does feel compelling to me"._

 _The Doctor nodded, conceding defeat on the subject of the name Ariana. Besides, he could see that she had a good point there, they had enough bad luck as it was, they didn't need any more, even if the idea of trying to name their daughter after one of her half siblings was a rather nice idea to them both, "Fine," he reached out and took the baby's tiny fist, gently rubbing his thumb over the tiny back of it, "How about something from Earth, like….Alice"._

" _Hmm…" she considered it thoughtfully, before shaking her head, "No, sorry, sweetheart, it just doesn't fit for me"._

" _Sarah?"_

" _Lovely name, but no"._

" _Harry"._

" _No, I…" she stopped, blinking at him, "Harry's a boy's name, Doctor"._

" _Harriet's not, though"._

 _The Hatter smiled, amused, and shook her head, "As much as I think Harry would have loved the idea of us considering his name for our child, Doctor, I'm afraid that even the female version of his name just isn't cutting it for me," she told him lightly._

" _Fine," the Doctor said, raising his eyebrows at her, "You come up with something, since I'm so rubbish"._

" _Oh, sweetheart," she shook her head, using her knee to lightly bump his lower back from beneath the blankets, even though she could tell that he wasn't really annoyed, "Perhaps an Earth name just isn't going to work. How about…Tempest?"_

 _He frowned and shook his head, glancing back at the baby, "No, doesn't suit her"._

" _Andromeda?"_

 _He looked thoughtful for a long moment, a good minute of considering it carefully, "I like it…"_

" _But…it doesn't really suit her, does it?" the Hatter said slowly, glancing back down at the baby's face._

" _No, and it's a bit of a mouthful when you're cross"._

 _She raised her eyebrows, "Are we looking for a quick, easy name to say when we're cross with her, now?"_

 _The Doctor gave her a look, "We're going to need one with the two of us are her parents, the traits she's probably got from us both"._

" _What a lovely thought," she rolled her eyes, looking back down to the baby, thinking carefully about what other names they had considered , "What about Astra?" she suggested, looking back to him._

" _Astra…" he said slowly, "It means 'of the stars,'" he remarked, smiling faintly as he looked down at the baby, "Sounds appropriate, don't you think, dear?"_

 _The Hatter broke into a large smile, looking hopeful. She had to admit, she did like the name Astra very much, it was at the top of her list for girl names, just as Andromeda had been, "So you like it then?" she asked, raising her eyebrows._

" _Very much," he said at once, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek, "Now, as for a middle name…" he began as he leaned back from her._

" _Actually, I already have an idea for that," she cut across him, still smiling, "I was thinking…Penelope"._

 _The Doctor blinked, actually looking quite startled by the suggestion, "You want to name her after my mother?" he stared at her._

" _I might not have always agreed or understood some of your mother's actions, but I did admire her and she always treated me very well, inviting me to have tea with her even after you ran away, even though she could have easily have held the whole thing over me, much as your daughter did"._

 _He continued to stare at her, so much so that she was even starting to get a little concerned that he might have completely lost his mind, "I love you," he blurted out, actually making her blink in surprise._

" _I love you, too, sweetheart," she smiled softly, if a little bemused._

" _Astra Penelope…" he said slowly, testing it out as he looked down at the baby, "I love it," his eyes snapped back up to her face, grinning broadly, "Named after the stars and her grandmother, what could be better?"_

 _The Hatter laughed, delighted that he liked the name, when she looked down to see the baby…well, Astra, slowly opening her big, almond shaped eyes that, at this point, were a dark blue colour, though that would change in the coming months, just as most baby's eyes would change after the first several months of life. Astra stared up at her mother's face for the first time, seeming to be taking her in with a curiosity that human's would find very strange to see on a barely hour old baby, but was quite normal for a baby Time Lord…or Time Tot, which was probably the better term for her._

" _Oh, hello, my darling," the Time Lady cooed, her smile broadening as little Astra gave a big yawn, "What do you think about your name? Does it meet with your approval, Lady Astra Penelope?" Astra gurgled up at her, making her parents laugh as her eyes slipped closed, apparently deciding that it was time to go back to sleep. The Hatter looked back up to the Doctor, who looked highly amused, "'Anything but Lady works for me,'" she translated, shaking her head, "Looks like she also got my distaste for formalities"._

" _She's going to be handful," the Doctor agreed fondly, leaning over to lightly press a kiss onto Astra's head before moving forward to lightly kiss the Hatter._

….

It had been one of the best moments of his life, him and the Hatter with Astra, simply happy to sit there and watch as their baby slept on peacefully, the Hatter completely refusing to even admit to the fact that her arms had felt like they were about to drop off until he had stepped in, telling her firmly that she was still recovering and that she needed to rest. She had agreed, reluctantly, and he had carefully taken Astra and placed her in a small crib at the end of the bed. Not that that stopped her from still watching her carefully from at the top of the bed.

The rest of the week had passed much in the same way, though the Hatter did fully recover and was more than happily to take Astra for little walks around the TARDIS garden, Astra very much liking all the bright colours of the flowers. Amy and Rory didn't complain once about not going on any adventures, they were more than happy to give the Doctor and the Hatter time to adjust to parenthood. However, there was still something hanging over their heads and that was the fact that there was people out there who were after Astra, people who wanted nothing more than to steal a brand new Time Lord baby and turn it into a weapon.

….

 _The Hatter stood above Astra's cot, her hands clutching onto the wooden top of the crib as she watched Astra sleeping. The Doctor came to stand beside her, reaching out to place his hand on her back as he noticed the tears brimming in her eyes._

" _This can't last, can it?" she breathed, not taking her eyes off Astra, as if she was expecting her to just vanish right before her eyes._

" _No," the Doctor sighed, swallowing hard, "The moment we step outside the TARDIS, we can't know when they might pop up again. It could be like what happened to Amy and Rory all over again"._

 _She ducked her head, reaching up to roughly wipe her tears away, "What type of childhood would that be?" she frowned, looking back up to his face, "Forever trapped inside the TARDIS, unable to go out, living in terror of an enemy that might swop down and snatch her away from her parents"._

 _He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him, tears filling his eyes as he looked back into the cot to Astra, "Exactly," he murmured, sniffing, " That's not any way for a child to live and we…" he paused, closing his eyes tightly, forcing the words out of his mouth. It was almost physically painful to have to admit it, "We can't protect her. We've already failed one child, I won't let that happen to Astra," he pulled back to meet her eyes, "I swear"._

" _There's only one thing to do, then," the Hatter closed her eyes tightly, pressing her forehead against his, "For her safety, we have to let her go"._

…

" _Are you sure there's no other way?" Sarah Jane asked, looking desperately between the Doctor and the Hatter as they sat on her living room sofa, a bundle of pink blankest in the Time Lady's arms._

" _Sarah, there's nothing else that we can do," the Doctor replied grimly, looking back across to the human woman with a very serious expression. In fact, Sarah Jane couldn't remember the last time she had seen either Time Lord look so grave and serious._

" _Astra's safety must come first," the Hatter said quietly, already sniffing back tears as she looked down to Astra's big blue eyes, "We can't protect her from a threat like this, Sarah," she looked back across to Sarah Jane, "We've faced them twice now, barely survived once and already lost one child"._

" _We can't let that happen again," he nodded, reaching across the sofa to put his hand on the Hatter's knee, seeing how upset she was already getting. She had been bursting into tears at completely random moments ever since they had been forced to admit that they couldn't protect Astra, that her being with them only put her in danger of being stolen from them, just like Melody had been from Amy and Rory. They couldn't allow even the possibility of that to happen, so for the sake of Astra and to insure that she could live like a normal child, something that the Hatter never even had the chance to do, they only had one thing that they could, even if it broke their hearts and devastated them to have to do it._

" _Please, Sarah," the Time Lady looked at her desperately, "You're the only one that we know that could handle raising a Time Tot, you did a wonderful job with Luke and now Sky is positively flourishing under you care. Who else in the Universe would the Doctor or I trust to raise our daughter then you?"_

 _Sarah looked back and forth between, the desperation to protect their child was clear. How could she possibly refuse them? She gave them a sad smile, "All right, I would be honoured to take Astra," she told them, "But I don't expect it to be very long before you two pop up after you've saved the day," her smile brightened, knowing them. She had complete faith in the Time Lords that they would find a way to solve this, that they would be back probably by the end of the week for her, wanting to take their daughter back with them now that it was save for her. She believed in that, she had to._

" _Thank you, Sarah Jane," the Doctor said sincerely, even though his hearts were breaking as he spoke. He turned to face the Hatter, looking down at Astra as she stared back up at them, "You be a good girl, keep an eye out for bow ties," he tried to joke weakly, "Bow ties are cool, remember that"._

 _Astra gurgled and let out a little sequel._

 _The Hatter laughed faintly, "You just couldn't wait to corrupt her, could you, sweetheart?" she shook her head fondly._

 _He flashed her a smile, "I can't help it if my daughter has good taste"._

" _Just as long as she remembers that hat's are better," she looked pointedly back down to Astra, "Isn't that right, darling?"_

" _Call it a tie?" he offered, knowing that he was taking a bit even asking. Still, the longer that they bantered, the longer they had with Astra._

 _She narrowed her eyes very slightly at him, not looking entirely convinced, "Fine, but only for the sake of this marriage, Doctor"._

 _He looked back down to Astra. The moment his eyes landed on her again, he realised that they couldn't hold it off any longer, the only thing keeping him going was the thought that Astra would grow up safe and protected, even if it couldn't be with him and the Hatter there to raise her, like it was supposed to be, "I love you," he said softly, leaning down press a kiss on her forehead, forcing himself to straighten, "Be good and brave, never let anyone stop you"._

 _The Hatter sniffed back tears, feeling close to completely breaking down as she lifted Astra closer to her, "We love you so much," she whispered to her, her voice tearful, "Always remember that, because you are so loved, my darling," she kissed a kiss on her forehead, tears slipping down her cheeks, "Remember, if you promise something, keep it because in the end, we are only as good as our word. Remember that"._

 _The Doctor reached out and, slowly, the Hatter passed Astra across to him, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hand her away to Sarah Jane. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. He held her tightly to his chest and slowly stood, stepping across to Sarah and carefully transferring her into Sarah's waiting arms. He struggled not to burst into tears as he let go of the blanket wrapped around Astra and forced himself to take a step back, not quite trusting himself to not try to grab Astra back and go back on everything that they had planned. This was about Astra; they couldn't be selfish, no matter how much they might wish to be._

 _The Hatter rose and reached in her jacket, pulling a leather bound diary, similar to the one that they had given Melody only a week ago, and holding it out towards Sarah with shaking hands, "When she's older, give this to her," she told her in a tearful voice, biting back a sob, "We tried to include as much as we possibly could in there about…well, everything. The Time Lords, Gallifrey, how to fly a TARDIS…us…" she trailed off and ducked her head, her shoulder's shaking with barely suppressed sobs._

 _She didn't think she was going to be able to do this, leave her new born behind, even if it was in the care of Sarah Jane Smith, the one and only person in the whole Universe that both she and the Doctor trusted enough to be able to raise their daughter the way that they would have. The idea of Astra growing up without them, it was almost like torture for her to imagine everything that they would miss. Astra's first words, witnessing her first steps, being there to watch on proudly as she learnt how to fly the TARDIS for the first time as the poor Doctor stood back and tried very hard to look supporting, even while having a small internal meltdown. They were going to be there for all of it, every single second and now…now they would never see her again. It would be too dangerous for Astra and Sarah to come back, they couldn't be sure if they were being watched. After all, Sarah Jane had opened up her heart and home to their daughter, possibly risking her own life and her children's lives to help them, they needed to do whatever they could to insure that Sarah wouldn't end up paying for that kindness. That meant keeping their distance._

 _Sarah stood, carefully holding Astra closer to her as she reached out to take the book, "I'll tell her every day about you two," she assured them, looking back and forth between the two of them as they stood before her, barely fighting back tears. It broke her heart to see, "She'll never go a day without hearing about how much she was loved and the amazing people her parents were. I promise"._

 _The Hatter couldn't speak, she couldn't even force herself to smile, but she did manage to give her a single nod, dearly hoping that Sarah would understand. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist, "Thank you, Sarah," he said softly, his voice trembling. He glanced back down at Astra to see her looked back at them, and it took every ounce of self control for him to pull his eyes away._

 _Slowly, they turned and left the room, knowing that unless they forced themselves to leave now and even tried to say one last goodbye to their baby, they would never be able to leave._

…

Footsteps sounded from behind him and he dragged his eyes off the Time Rotor to look over his shoulder. The Hatter was slowly walking down the stairs, her eyes red and still brimming with tears, but she still came to sit beside him on the step when he moved to give her room. She didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on her hands as they toyed with the edge of her skirt.

"I keep forgetting she's gone," she breathed after a long moment of silence, her voice sounding empty, broken, "I just found myself standing in the kitchen, about to make up a bottle when I…remembered".

The Doctor swallowed and roughly wiped his tears away, before reaching over to place his hand over hers. She didn't move, not at first, and for one painful moment he feared that she might even try to push his hand away, but instead she turned her left hand over and allowed his fingers to entwine with hers, "We'll get through this," he told her, forcing himself to sound confident, even though that was the last thing that he felt right now, "We'll do it together".

"Yeah," she murmured absently, as if she was only agreeing for the sake of it.

He turned towards her and used his other hand to gently lift her chin, making her look at him, "We _will_ , Hatter," he insisted. She felt so distant to him, like she was there but so far away at the same time, "We just have to be united. I know you, I know that you don't mean to do it, but you _can't_ push me away, not this time," his voice grew steady, determined, "I won't let that happen. We're in this together, always and forever".

"I…" she stopped, closing her eyes briefly, "I know, and I am trying hard not to let that happen. I am…" she trailed off, unable to go on.

"I won't let you lock yourself away, not again. I've seen you go down that path, the dark places that your grief has taken you in the past and I swear to you, I _won't_ let that happen".

The Hatter sniffed and gave him a weak smile, which was more like a very slight lifting of the corners of her lips, but it was a start. A tiny start that meant the world to him because it proved to him that she would be okay, that they would get through this. Together.

"I wish I could be half as strong as you are, right now," she sighed.

"Funny," he gave her a small comforting smile and wrapped his arms around her back, "I was about to say the same thing to you".

"You are such a sweetheart".

"And you are one of the dearest things in my life, why do you think I call you 'dear?'" she gave a very weak laugh, letting her head drop down to rest on his shoulder as he placed a kiss on top of her head, her hat currently lying about somewhere, "We'll get through this," he said again, resting the side of his face against hers, her hair tickling his nose, "I swear to you, on my life, we will".

Amy and Rory stood at the top of the stairs, watching as the Time Lords held one another and grieved. Slowly, Amy reached out to take her husband's hand, swallowing painfully at the sight as they slowly turned and quietly walked back off down the hallway, leaving them to their privacy.

 _ **Please don't kill me, pretty please. This was always going to happen, always, right from the moment I decided that the Hatter and the Doctor were going to have a child; I knew this would have to happen. There's no way they would take the risk of something happening to their daughter like it happened to Amy and Rory, not if they could find a way to stop it. As for Sarah Jane, originally it would have been Max and Alice, the Hatter's first companions who would take Astra in, but since they live in the Victorian era, I didn't feel like the Hatter would send her daughter to live in a time period were women were passed over and treated so differently then boy's. I just couldn't see the Hatter wanting her daughter to grow up during that time and Sarah Jane just seemed like the most logical choice, given her own history of raising highly intelligent children, like Luke. If anyone could handle a baby gallifreyan, it would be Sarah Jane Smith.**_

 _ **Next chapter, what has come of our Time Lords since saying goodbye to their baby? What piece of clothing does the Hatter no longer wear? And the Doctor's ten is showing in his rudeness. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews (twenty two guest reviews! Thank you so much):**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Yes, I have actually thought about doing the Trial of a Time Lord, it's one of those classic episodes that I would really love to do. The Hatter would be there, without a doubt, trying to help the Doctor defend himself and probably end up having to also defend herself a bit, too. In fact, I've written a one-shot that's set directly after the ending of the trial it's called 'the Darkness Within Us All,' and that chapter touches on a little bit of how the Hatter felt during the trial and her feelings of the Valeyard. Just if you're interested.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I don't really know that much about the Valeyard, just what came from what we saw on the show and I have to admit, it's been about three years since I watched those episodes, so I really ought to go back and watch them again. I think he was interesting and I would have liked to have seen more. I think that the Tenth Doctor did come very dangerously close to going down that path, very close. I don't know if he would have gone full Valeyard, but I think it probably would have been very close, probably more close then we've seen the Doctor come to that path before.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **Hmm, I can't of hope she doesn't become good. There's a balance in the Universe and if Missy turns good, does that mean the Doctor will become bad? That's how I see the two of them, but I don't know. Maybe. I could see it happening, though, like I said, I really hope not.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I actually don't know at this point, I'm leaning towards not having Rose, or rather Bad Wolf in the fiftieth special, since it wouldn't really make sense for this version of the episode, but I don't know for sure yet.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **I think that the meta-crises Doctor would have tried to fall for Rose, after all, he was a copy of the Doctor. Everything that the Doctor felt, including his feelings for the Hatter, he felt them too. Given that, I don't know if he would have ended up with Rose in the end, I think he would have tried and he might have even fallen for her, given that the Doctor did have feelings for Rose before the Hatter turned up. I'd like to think that the two of them would be happy together, even if I'm not a Rose fan, I still think that it would have been nice.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **The Hatter's friendship with the Seventh Doctor would have been a little more wary, I guess. She would have kept a closer eye on him then before and I think that the Doctor would have tried very hard to try and prove to her that it was still him, that she had nothing to be worried about.**_

 _ **Her friendship with the Eighth Doctor, at the start, probably would have been a little more physical than previously. I mean, this is a man who kissed a human woman out of sheer excitement. More hand holding, standing closer to her then needed, maybe a few little innocent kisses on her cheek and forehead. Eight has always come off as being a romantic to me. But as the Time War progressed and things went on in their lives, I think those little gestures would have faded. The Hatter would have been grieving for her children and the Doctor would have been resisting against fighting in the War, they wouldn't have spent much time together towards the end.**_

 _ **And as for the War Doctor, I think that it would have been quite q professional sort of relationship. They both would have been very busy, neither of them would have had time to spend bantering and teasing each other, nor would they have spent a great deal of time together, either. But in the end, towards those final days, they would have softened and the relationship that we know would have come back, if without the banter and teasing.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **Yes, I very much hope so. Once I've finally got around to writing the Three Doctor's, I'll start on the Deadly Assassin, that's the episode I'm most looking forward to writing. But once that's done, who knows what might come next? I'll probably put a poll up after that.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **If the Hatter been in love with the Master, the Universe would be under their control. The Hatter might not care about power, but the Master does and when you're with someone so closely, you start to pick up on their traits and habits and I think that's what would have happened to her. Plus, the Hatter's not likely to make the same mistakes as the Master and be so bent on getting revenge. She would have made sure to get rid of the Doctor right from the start and probably Gallifrey and the Time Lords, just to be sure, too.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **I haven't watched all of Classic Who yet, I've seen all of 7, 6, I think I have one or two of 5 to see, most of 4, same for 3, I've only watched two or three of 2, and I've seen several of one. So, not every episode quite yet. I haven't watched very much of two because there's just not many of them to watch and I tend to become easily distracted while watching black and white. I have to really force myself to focus and Classic Who just seem to pack so much into one scene.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **If the Hatter had been sent back to Gallifrey rather than Earth with the Doctor, she would have found a way to escape, that's one of the reasons why she was sent to Earth. The Time Lords knew that she would find a way to get away on Gallifrey, that or she would end up corrupting someone and getting them to help her.**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **Yep, I do have a plan for her thirteenth life. Not going to say, though :)**_

 _ **Guest (12):**_ _ **My favourite monster, well, it would have to be the Dalek's, but that's what pretty much everyone says, so I guess it would probably be either the Weeping Angels or Vashta Nerada, since the idea of being eaten to death by a giant swarm hiding in my own shadow is just simply terrifying and reminds me of when I was a kid and couldn't sleep without a light on.**_

 _ **Guest (13):**_ _ **If the Hatter was the way that she was during the Time War, I don't think that Martha, Donna, Amy, and Rory would have come to like her nearly as much. And Rose…well, she wouldn't have dared have acted the way that she did, the Hatter would have well and truly set her right. The Hatter wouldn't have been anywhere near as warm and gentle as we know her to be, she would be quite strict and distant, and I think that she would have struggled with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor, and they would have likely have found her just as difficult to know just how to approach and handle.**_

 _ **Guest (14):**_ _ **I think that if the Doctor and the Hatter first meet each other after the Time War, that they would have got along straight away. It would have taken years for anything more than friendship to build between them, though I do think that they would have felt attracted to each other very early on, based on their intelligence.**_

 _ **Guest (15):**_ _ **The Hatter's TARDIS is still missing and while the Hatter does miss it, I think she's come to the notion that one day, she'll find it again, probably accidently, but she's not actively searching for it or anything. I do actually have a plan for her old TARDIS, but that's very far into the future.**_

 _ **Guest (16):**_ _ **I actually have a one-shot idea about the Hatter and the Ninth Doctor lined up, but I'm afraid that the Doctor won't have any memory of any meeting with the Hatter surviving the Time War. In order to keep the time lines in check, the Doctor mustn't know that she lived, otherwise he would have searched the entire Universe and he would never have meet Rose.**_

 _ **Guest (17):**_ _ **Out of Classic who, since she wasn't there during the Doctor's one and eight, I can't say, but as for the adventures she would have been around for:**_

 _ **The Second Doctor: Tomb of the Cybermen.**_

 _ **Third: pretty much all of them, but if I have to name one, the Daemons.**_

 _ **Fourth: City of Death.**_

 _ **Fifth: Arc of Infinity.**_

 _ **Sixth: The Mark of the Rani.**_

 _ **Seventh: probably a cross between Delta and Bannermen and Batterfield.**_

 _ **Guest (18):**_ _ **I haven't actually thought about doing that, but it would interesting. I could see it as being more like a mini story rather than a one-shot; then again it would depend of what the plot would be.**_

 _ **Guest (19):**_ _ **I think that if the Master found the Hatter before she opened the watch and did something to her, I think that she would eventually manage to overcome whatever he did to her mind. She's mentally stronger then both him or the Doctor, it would take time but I think she would be able to break through whatever he did to her, likely with the Doctor's help.**_


	21. Chapter 21 Night Terrors, Part 1

_**Night Terrors, Part 1**_

The Doctor stood by the TARDIS controls, blabbering on about something while Amy and Rory stood on the other side of the console, drinking tea from a pair of plain white mugs. Amy pretended to listen to the Doctor, but her eyes were fixed on the Hatter as the Time Lady leant against the railing, staring off into the distances with a funny look on her face, her hat notably absent from atop her head. It wasn't the first time it had happened either.

For weeks now Amy would catch the Time Lady just staring off into space, the same blank expression on her face, only to jump when someone tried to speak to her. Sometimes she would even catch her wiping away tears when she thought no one was watching. The Doctor seemed to be the complete opposite, however. He had become twice as energetic as he had been before, running and jumping about like he had been wound up on a tight spring, moving his hands around rapidly as he spoke a mile a minutes about completely random things, sometimes things that didn't even make sense. But, at the end of the day, she would always catch the two of them sitting beside each other on the steps or leaning against the controls, holding each other with their faces buried into each other's necks, the sadness and grief for their daughter practically filling the entire console room with a heavy air. Amy knew that pain well, but she also knew that nothing either she or Rory could say would help, it would simply take time.

Suddenly, the Doctor broke off mid sentence and jumped, as if something had burnt him, whirling around to face the Hatter as he reached into his pocket. The Time Lady blinked, startled by the sudden movement and finally seemed to come back to reality, watching him curiously as he pulled the psychic paper from his blazer pocket and flipped it open, checking it.

"'Please save me from the monsters,'" he read aloud, frowning very slightly.

The Hatter pushed off from the railing and moved to his side to see the message for herself, "How curious," she remarked, though Amy did note that she didn't sound nearly as interested as she might have once. Even her expression looked…dimmed.

The Doctor lowered the paper, tucking it back inside his pocket as he eyed her worriedly, "We don't…" he began, lowering his voice.

"Yes, we do," she cut him off, speaking just as softly as she meet his eyes, "Someone out there, likely a child, is so desperate for help that they managed to send you a message right across the stars. How could we possibly not go?"

"I'm just a little concerned that it might be a bit soon, after…"

"It will always be too soon, Doctor," she sighed, swallowing painfully, Astra's tiny face swimming through her mind, "But that doesn't mean that we can simply ignore the pleas for help from a child, that only makes it all the more important. We would never think for a moment about helping before, we are certainly not going to start now".

He smiled faintly and pressed a kiss to her forehead, relieved that she was thinking that way. Of course he wouldn't have been able to just ignore the call, but he had been a little worried that the Hatter might decide that she would stay behind in the TARDIS and let them go. Hopefully, this little trip, getting back to the old days, would help her start to come back to herself a little bit, she might even start wearing her hat again, something she hadn't done since they had left Astra with Sarah Jane. He very dearly hoped so; it broke his hearts to see the Hatter so sad.

The Hatter returned his smile, if a little weakly, and moved closer to the controls, "Well, it certainly has been quite some time since we've done this," she commented lightly, reaching out to pull a lever, the Doctor quickly moving to start working at the controls, too.

"Done what?" Amy asked with a small frown, watching them, just as the brunet carefully brushed past them as she danced around the console, "What are you doing?"

"Making a house call," the Doctor replied brightly, flashing the humans a quick smile as he pulled the last lever, setting them off.

"Mind your tea!" the Time Lady called, just as the TARDIS began shaking and jolting around, Amy and Rory only just managing to quickly drink up the very last mouthfuls of their tea, almost burning their mouths in the process, before they found themselves almost knocked to the ground, Rory dropping his cup and shattering it onto the glass floor.

"Oh, sorry!" Rory said loudly, grabbing a nearby railing to try and steady himself.

"Never mind!" she shook her head as she calmly kicked the shards of porcelain over the edge of the console, just to make sure no one ended up injuring themselves on it, going straight back to helping fly the TARDIS.

Finally, the shaking and the jolting died down as they landed, Rory, being closest to the doors, heading straight down the steps and off outside while the Time Lords finished making sure that the time machine wouldn't go wondering off on them…again. He opened the door and stepped outside, looking around with a rather unimpressed expression as he realised that they had landed in what looked like an old parking lot at night time, dogs barking loudly in the distance as, off to the side of where they had parked, several red, shabby garage doors faced them. Above them, several tall building's loomed, looking like blocks of old flats. Amy stepped out behind him as they looked around, their shoes splashing in the puddles on the concrete ground from an old drain that looked like it was blocked by leaves and plant matter.

"No offence…" he called back to the open TARDIS doors, casting his eyes up at the buildings.

"Meaning the opposite," the Doctor said as he held the TARDIS door open for the Hatter as she stepped out, looking around.

"…but we could have got a bus somewhere like this," he finished, looking back to the Time Lords.

"The _exact_ opposite," the Hatter smiled faintly as the Doctor shut the doors and took her hand, the two of them strolling over to Amy and Rory.

"Well, I suppose it can't all be planets and history and stuff, Rory," Amy shrugged, looking up at the buildings surrounding them.

"Yes, it can!" the Doctor said at once, shaking his head at her as they strolled passed them, reaching into his pocket, "Course it can! Planets and history and stuff".

"We're _very_ good at that, thank you very much," the Time Lady added brightly as Amy and Rory trailed behind them as they headed off in the direction of one of the blocks of flats, "However…" she glanced back to the humans, "Today _is_ slightly different".

"Yes," he agreed, pulling his sonic screwdriver from his inner blazer pocket, flashing it around in his free hand as they walked through a large metal gate and into the large courtyard of the block, "Today we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the Universe," he glanced back to them as they continued walking, raising his eyebrows, "A child's bedroom".

They made their way through the courtyard, the Doctor jumping over a piece of junk that had been left lying around outside, and strolled into the block of flats, coming to a stop outside the lifts, the Doctor excitedly pressing the button to bring it down. The Hatter shook her head fondly as he moved back to stand beside her, linking his arm through hers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the psychic paper while they waited, holding it up to look at the message again.

Rory frowned slightly with his arms crossed across his chest, leaning closer to the Time Lady to get a better look, "'Please save me from the monsters?'" he read, glancing back to the Time Lords as the Doctor flipped the paper closed, "Who sent that?"

"That's exactly why we're here," the Hatter told him, looking back to the lift doors as the Doctor tucked the paper back inside his pocket, "Somewhere around here, someone needs our help and we're going to find them".

"Sounds like something a kid would say," Amy remarked, looking back over to them from the other side of the Doctor.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter. She seemed to be holding up well, but that still didn't stop him from worrying that this little adventure might just be a little too much for her to be able to handle right now. He had to admit, the idea of a terrified child out there, desperate for help, was making him feel a little shaken, thoughts of Astra popping into his mind. He gave himself a hard mental shake, reminding himself to focus "A scared kid," he sighed, frowning, "A _very_ scared kid".

"So afraid, in fact," the Time Lady went on, looking back to the lift, "That they managed to send their cry for help halfway across the Universe, straight into the TARDIS".

"Yeah, but you've traced it here?" Amy frowned slightly, casting her eyes around the small, shabby little hallway. The place was in desperate need of a bit of work.

"This is where the signal is coming from," she confirmed, before pausing and looking up at the ceiling, "Well, more accurately from one of the flats above us, sadly there's too many for us to be able to completely narrow down," Amy pulled a face, thinking that they would have to knock on every door in the place. She smiled slightly, "Not to worry, we _did_ manage to narrow it down to at least three floors".

"Great," she sighed sarcastically, looking thrilled by the prospect of having to look through three whole floors of flats.

The lift dinged as it reached them, the doors sliding open before them.

"Ah!" the Doctor grinned, "Going up," he and the Hatter stepped into the tight space, Amy and Rory following behind them.

….

The Hatter sighed slightly as she looked around, each and every single flat exactly the same, from the two front windows to the front doors, all of it identical from the last one. It was actually a little depressing, how alike it all was, not a single colour different. Depressing _and_ boring. It reminded her far too much like Gallifrey.

The four of them had separated to try and find the frightened child as quickly as they could, though the Doctor had tried to suggest that he and the Hatter should stick together, the Time Lady had pointed out to him that the more doors that they could knock on, the faster it would be for them to track down the child, which was the main point. Reluctantly, he had agreed and headed off on his own, leaving her to contemplate where to begin, while Amy and Rory checked the floor below her.

The first door that she came to, she knocked on, fixing a large, friendly smile onto her face as it swung open and she found herself face to face with a teenage boy, barely appearing to be older then sixteen with spotty skin and looking as if he had undergone a massive growth spurt. He actually reminded her a little bit of the Doctor, all gangly and a little clumsy looking.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully, "I'm from community support…"

"I didn't do it!" the boy blurted out, looking panicked.

She blinked, taken aback, "I'm sorry?"

"Um…" he almost visibly swallowed, shifting nervously, "Nothing".

"Right," she nodded slowly, eyeing him strangely, "And I completely believe you," she struggled not to burst out laughing as she watched a bright blush creep up his neck, avoiding her eyes. She shook her head and smiled, "Anyway, I'm the Hatter…" she didn't even wait for his permission, simply reaching forward and grabbing his sweaty hand, shaking it quickly before letting it go once more. Discreetly, she rubbed her palm against the back of her skirt, trying very hard not to grimace, "I don't suppose your parents are in…?" she asked hopefully, trying to look past him.

"Mum's out," he informed her, still looking quite nervous.

"Oh well," the Hatter shrugged, smiling widely again, "Maybe you'll be able to help me. I don't suppose you've seen anything…odd going on around here?"

"Odd?"

"Yes, just…strange things, things that shouldn't be there? Funny noises?"

"What, like ghosts?"

The Time Lady struggled to keep her smile in place, resisting the urge to groan. Ghosts, humans did like to blame odd noises onto ghosts, didn't they? Ghosts or magic, "Something like that, yeah," she sighed, feeling like she wasn't getting anywhere, "Look, maybe it'll be better if I come back later, when your mum's home…" the boy's eyes widened, looking horrified by the idea, and he suddenly slammed the door shut on her face, before she could even protest or blink. She stood there, staring at the door with her mouth hanging open, "What did I say wrong?" she muttered, baffled.

He had to be quite possibly the most nervous, twitchy teenage boy she had ever come across. She was almost a little worried just what he might have done, he clearly thought that she was going to come back and tell his mother. She shook her head and cast the door one last look, before turning on her heel and heading off for the next door, a little afraid now of what reaction she might get next.

…

After knocking on at least ten more doors, each one containing a new and sometimes even stranger resident then the last, the Hatter headed back down the hallway that she had originally gone down, close to the lifts, just as she caught sight of the Doctor right up ahead of her. He turned at the sound of her footsteps and broke into a large smile, immediately wrapping his arm around her waist as she reached him.

"Any luck, dear?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope," she sighed, shaking her head. She looked away from him and over the railing to see Amy and Rory walking along the hallway of flats on the floor below them, appearing to be talking to each other as they walked, "Not a thing…" she trailed off, catching sight of something, a frown crossing her face, "But that might be about to change, sweetheart".

The Doctor blinked, confused, following her gaze down to the floor below them where, in the window of one of the flats that Amy and Rory had just passed, the frightened face of a little boy was peering out from between his curtains, watching while the couple passed by before quickly ducking back out of sight. He looked back to the Hatter, raising his eyebrows. There really was no one else it could be, not with how frightened the little boy had looked. It had to be him.

"Bingo," he commented happily.

"Come on," the Hatter lightly tugged on his arm, leading him off down the hallway.

They found the stairs and hurried down them, stepping down into the lower floor and rounding a corner by the lifts, managing to catch Amy and Rory just as they arrived, too.

"Hey!" Amy greeted them brightly, stepping closer to them, "Any luck?"

"Three old ladies, a traffic warden from Croatia, and a man with ten cats," the Doctor listed off.

"Yes, while I meet quite possibly the most nervous teenage boy I have ever come across," the Hatter added, shaking her head in amusement as she also started listing off some of her top strange encounters of the evening, "One old man who was convinced I was his granddaughter, a woman who answered the door wearing a pink silk robe and little else, and a man who thought I had come to buy drugs," she cast her eyes around the hallway as Amy, Rory, and even the Doctor looked a little startled, "Honestly, this place is amazing. And not in a good way, either".

"Seriously?" Amy stared at her.

"Oh, I know," she nodded, looking completely serous, "Answering your front door in a silk robe? I mean, who does that? What if there had been a draft?" she shook her head, tutting to herself.

Rory and Amy exchanged a look, before Rory sighed and focused back on to the Time Lords, "What are we actually looking for?" he asked, deciding it was probably best to move on.

" _Ten_ cats!" the Doctor grinned, shaking his head.

The Hatter pattered his arm and looked back to Amy and Rory, "A frightened child," she reminded them, "Probably anywhere between the age of four to ten".

"I, um, found _scary_ kids," Amy told them, grimacing slightly, "Does that count?"

"Twin girls?"

"Yes," she nodded, looking surprised, "How did you know?"

She shivered, "Twin girls are always the creepiest…" she replied, very seriously.

"Hmm…" the Doctor hummed thoughtfully, glancing at the Hatter with a slightly pointed look, which she quickly caught onto and nodded. He turned back to Amy and Rory, "Try the next floor down. Catch you later," he pattered Amy's shoulder as he and the Hatter turned, walking off down the hallway. They reached the door of the flat that they had noticed the little boy peering out of the window of and he reached out to knock, when he hesitated, glancing back to the Hatter with a small, concerned frown, "Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

The Hatter sighed heavily, "While I am very grateful for how concerned and thoughtful you are being, sweetheart," she began, fixing him with a look as her voice grew sharper, "If you don't stop treating me like a porcelain doll that's mere inches away from breaking, I will smack you," she leaned closer to his face, making him wince slightly, " _Very_ hard".

"Right, sorry," he nodded quickly, knowing that she was being serious right now. He was trying very hard not to try and keep fussing over her, knowing how much she hated when people did that, but he just couldn't help it. He knew how upset she was, how much sending Astra away to be raised by someone else while they tried to act like nothing was wrong was weighing on her mind, it was weighing on _him_. He couldn't stop thinking about their baby, all the things that they would miss, how easy it would just be to go back and take Astra back home with them. But they couldn't be selfish, not with her, not when they already knew that as long as Astra was with them, she would never have a somewhat normal life, forever trapped inside the TARDIS for fear of being snatched away from them. That wasn't any way to live and that was certainly not the childhood that either of them had ever wished their daughter to have. Astra would be better off with Sarah Jane, that was what mattered, they simply had to sacrifice being able to parent her in order to insure her safety.

She gave him a small, sad smile and lightly kissed him, having a pretty good idea about what he was thinking about. That was the Doctor, always thinking about her needs before his own. She had to admit, they were as bad as each other in that respect. He squeezed her hand as she pulled back and they both turned back to the door, the Doctor raising his fist again and knocking a little more cheerfully on the door then he really felt.

A moment later, the door was whipped open and a man appeared with short, dark hair and a bit of stubble on his cheeks. The Doctor held up the psychic paper for him to see, "Oh," he blinked, squinting at it, "Right. That was quick".

"Was it?" the Doctor said a little surprised, glancing at the Time Lady. He flipped the paper around to see exactly what it had said.

"Claire said she'd phone someone," he continued, "Social Services".

"That's right," the Hatter agreed quickly, glancing back at the paper to see that it had, 'Dr. John and Hattie Smith of Child Psychology, Social Services,' written across the paper. She turned back to the man and smiled at him, feeling that her bright yellow shoes would probably actually help her seem more like a child psychologist this time, "Yes, that's us," she nodded, trying to sound cheerful.

"It's not easy, you know…" the man told them, sighing, "Admitting that your kid's got a problem".

"You've got a problem," the Doctor pointed the psychic paper at him, "We've got a problem. I bet they're connected…"

"Without a doubt," the Time Lady added.

"I'm the Doctor," he introduced himself, smiling broadly at the man, "And this is my wife, Hattie, she prefers Hatter…" he gestured to the brunet, who gave the man a little wave, "Call us the Doctor and the Hatter. Ah…what can we call you?" he questioned, slipping the psychic paper back inside his pocket.

"Oh, Alex," he replied, reaching out to shake the Doctor's hand, then the Hatter's.

"Hello, Alex," the Doctor said brightly, neither Time Lord waiting for permission before strolling right through the doorway and into the entrance hallway of the flat, looking around curiously for any clues.

"Lovely place you have here," the Hatter remarked, casting her eyes quickly around before turning back to Alex, who looked a little startled, "But we're not here to admire your décor, are we?" she smiled, raising her eyebrows, "Please tell us about George," she looked pointedly across to the door coming off the hallway with a hand drawn sigh stuck to it, saying 'George's Room' and little cartoon stickers of giraffe's.

Alex blinked and shut the door behind them, "Come on through," he said, and led them past George's bedroom door and down the hallway to the living room.

The Doctor and the Hatter took a seat on the sofa, the Time Lady looking around the room while the Doctor noticed a photo album sitting on the edge of the coffee table, picking it up and settling it in his lap as he started flipping through the pages. The Time Lady redirected her attention down the book, eyeing the pictures closely on each page.

"Ever since he was born he's been a funny kid," Alex started explaining to them, sighing.

"Funny's good!" the Doctor's head snapped back up, smiling as he looked across to the Hatter beside him, "We like funny, don't we?"

"Very much so," the Hatter agreed, returning his smile and nudging his side pointedly.

"He never cries," he went on, shaking his head, "Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you".

The Time Lady smiled faintly as the Doctor flipped a page to reveal several baby pictures of George as a newborn, being held by his mother and even one of his foot, "How old is he?" she asked, pulling her eyes off the pictures to look across to Alex, trying very hard to ignore the small stab of pain that shot through her.

"He was eight in January. I mean, he should be growing out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?"

"Every child's different," she shrugged. Her own children had gone through phases, believing that something was hiding under their beds or in their wardrobes, wanting to sleep with a lamp on. They all grew out of it, of course, but at different ages.

The Doctor flipped the album shut and leaned over to place it back on the coffee table, frowning thoughtfully as he settled back into the sofa, looking back across to Alex, "It's got worse, though, lately?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Alex nodded, "We talked about getting help. You know, maybe sending him somewhere…" the Doctor and the Hatter both winced, exchanging a quick look as the Doctor reached out to place his hand over her knee, "…he started getting these nervous tics. You know, funny little cough, blinking all the time. But now it's got completely out of hand," he stood from his armchair and looked back down to them, shaking his head, "I mean, he's scared to death of _everything_ ".

"Pantaphobia," the Doctor commented lightly.

"What?"

"That's the correct team," the Hatter clarified, looking back up to him, "Pantaphobia".

"Not a fear of pants though, if that's what you're thinking," the Doctor continued, pointing at him, "It's a fear of everything…" he frowned slightly, a thought occurring to him, "Including pants, I suppose, in that case…"

The Time Lady cleared her throat, nudging his side, "But that's getting off track," she said with a pointed look at him, before looking back up to Alex, "Please, go on".

Alex held up his hand, starting to list them off, "He hates clowns".

"Understandable," the Doctor muttered, and the Hatter nodded quickly in agreement, pulling a face.

"Creepy things," she agreed, suppressing a shiver. She was very grateful that clowns weren't a thing on Gallifrey, they probably would have scarred her for life as a child.

"Old toys. He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch," he pointed back towards the front door as the Doctor and the Hatter smiled slightly, amused. All kids went through something like that, "He hates having a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing! It's…" he trailed off, sighing in frustration as he shook his head, "Look, I don't know," he moved to sit back down in his armchair, clasping his hands together as he looked back across to them, "I'm not an expert. Maybe you can get through to him".

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter and back to the man, giving him a small smile, "We'll do our best".

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from down the hallway and Alex leaped onto his feet.

"George?" he called worriedly, dashing off down the hallway. The Time Lords exchanged a quick look and moved to follow at a slower pace as Alex threw George's bedroom door open and disappeared inside, "You okay?" he asked, his voice drifting to them as they neared the door, "What's the matter? Oh…" he breathed, sounding relieved as they heard him pick something up that rattled slightly, "Never mind. Were you having a nightmare, son?"

"Wasn't a nightmare," a young boy's voice came, "I wasn't asleep," the Doctor and the Hatter stepped into the doorway of the small bedroom, the Doctor crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe, while the Hatter took a small step into the room, looking back to the coppery haired boy sitting in the bed, staring back at them, "Who are you?" he asked, frowning back at them.

"I'm the Doctor," he told him.

"And I'm the Hatter," the Time Lady added, giving him a small, comforting smile.

"A doctor?" George's eyes winded fearfully, jumping back into his pillows, "Have you come to take me away?"

"Not at all," the Hatter shook her head, keeping her voice light and soothing, seeing how frightened he was getting. She slowly moved closer to him and knelt down in front of him, "We're just here to have a little talk with you, okay?"

"What about?"

The Doctor walked further into the room, "About the monsters," he replied, giving him a small, gentle smile as George blinked rapidly. He noticed a Rubik's cube on the ground and grinned, grabbing it and moving to sit on the foot of George's bed, immediately setting to work trying to solve it. The Hatter shook her head fondly and rose, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside him, watching him fiddle with the cube in amusement. George eyed them both carefully, though he seemed less afraid now, more curious then anything.

Alex started pacing again, looking back over to them, "Maybe it was things on the telly, you know?" he suggested.

"Right," he muttered distractedly, frowning in concentration as he struggled to solve the cube.

"Scary stuff, getting under his skin, frightening him".

"Mmm-hmm".

"So we stopped letting him watch".

"Oh," the Doctor's head popped up, "You don't want to do that," he looked back across to George, giving him a little smile and a wink, before turning his attention back on the cube. The Hatter smiled fondly, she always did love to watch him interact with children, he was always so soft and gentle with them.

"Then Claire thought it might have been something he was reading…"

"Ooh, reading's excellent," the Hatter remarked, breaking into a bright smile as she glanced back over to George, who was clutching onto his blankets, still watching them closely, "What do you think, Georgie?" she raised her eyebrows at him, softening her tone as she spoke to him, "Do you like stories?"

George nodded slowly.

"Yeah?" the Doctor looked over to him, "Us, too," he gestured to himself and the Hatter, "When we were your age, about, ooh…" he looked questioningly back to the Time Lady.

"About a thousand years ago," she supplied for him, before pausing, "Give or take a century or two".

"Thank you, dear," he flashed her a bright smile, turning back to George, "We both loved a good bedtime story," he continued brightly, "We used to sneak into each other's rooms and read stories to each other…well, usually _I_ did the sneaking," he corrected himself, glancing back to the Hatter, shaking his head, "This one was too scared about getting caught".

"Girl's had more to lose getting caught out of bed," the Hatter defended quickly, though she was bushing faintly, "And getting caught near the boy's dormitories? What a scandal! Regardless of how innocent it might have been, my parents would have probably shipped me off to live with distant relatives on the other side of the planet and forbidden me from ever stepping foot in the family estate again".

He smiled faintly, "Just teasing, dear," he planted a kiss on her cheek, turning back to George, "We used to read all our favourites to each other. 'The Three Little Sontarans…'"

"'The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes,'" she nodded, sounding nostalgic. She had been very sure to include all of those fairytales in the book that she had left with Astra. If neither she nor the Doctor could be there to tell those stories to her, then the least they could do was insure that Astra still heard them. They were a part of her legacy, after all, as a Gallifreyan, "Oh, and my personal favourite…" she brightened slightly, recalling the story, "'Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday'".

"All the classics," he grinned, pointing at her in agreement, neither of them seeming to notice the confused expressions on Alex and George's faces, "Rubbish," he tossed the cube over his shoulder, almost hitting Alex, "Must be broken. I hate those things," he shook his head.

The Hatter cleared her throat, casting Alex an apologetic look as he gave the Doctor a frown, bending down to pick the cube up, "Ah, Doctor?" she said pointedly, making him look back to her, "You're being rude again, sweetheart".

He blinked and followed her gaze over to Alex, "Oh, right," he said sheepishly, "Better tidy it away".

"Good idea, sweetheart," she smiled faintly. She even felt the urge to laugh, she couldn't even remember the last time she had a good, proper laugh. She was positive it was before they sent Astra away.

He stood and stepped closer to Alex as he straightened, handing the cube back to him with a slightly exasperated expression. He stepped over to a large wooden wardrobe with the cube in his hand, before pausing, looking back to George, "How about in here?" he pointed at the wardrobe, when George gasped and flinched fearfully, "No?" he glanced at the Hatter, who was frowning sightly, struggling against the urge to try and comfort the boy, "Not in the cupboard? Why not in there, George?" he looked back to the boy.

"It's a…thing," Alex tried to explain, "A thing we got him doing ages back. Anything that frightens him, we put it in the cupboard. Creepy toys, scary pictures, that sort of thing".

The Hatter looked back to George, eyeing him closely, "And is that were all the monster's hide, George?" she asked him, and the boy looked back to her, blinking rapidly again. She looked back to the Doctor, raising her eyebrows.

The Doctor nodded slowly, turning back to the wardrobe and walking closer to it, "There's nothing to be scared of, George," he assured him, "It's just a cupboard," he reached out to turn the latch on the doors, when there was a sudden knocking on the front door that made them all jump and gasp, startled.

"It's okay," the Hatter reached out to gentle touch George's hand, feeling the boy trembling in fear, her own hearts feeling like there were about to jump out of her chest from the fright. Someone had perfect timing.

"Front door," Alex said, exhaling loudly. He turned and left the room to answer it.

The Doctor moved back to sit on the bed beside the Hatter, bouncing both her and George as he settled comfortably with his back pressed against the wall. Through the gape of the half-closed door, they could hear snippets of conversation going on between Alex and another; middle aged man with a bulldog attached to chained lead. George craned his neck slightly, eyeing the man intently with a frightened expression on his face. The Hatter frowned slightly and glanced at the Doctor, who flashed her little smile and reached into his pocket, whipping out his sonic screwdriver and activating it.

George blinked at the odd noise and looked back to them, eyeing the device curiously, "Is that a torch?" he asked.

"Screwdriver," the Doctor corrected, giving him a smile before he looked back to the device, making the light flash on and off again, "A sonic one. And other stuff".

"Please may I see the other stuff?"

"Why, what wonderful manners you have, George," the Hatter smiled broadly at him, glancing at the Doctor, "What do you say, sweetheart?"

The Doctor returned her smile and looked over to George, "You may," he nodded to him, and flashed his sonic over to the battery powered toys sitting on the floor on the other side of the room, making them turn on and start moving all on their own, "Pretty cool, eh?" he called over the noise of the toys.

George watched the toys moving around in wounder, his eyes widening in delight, not any trace of fear on his face now.

"Now that's what we like to see," the Hatter said happily, watching George's expression closely, greatly relieved and pleased to see that their little distraction had worked, rather then made him even more frightened, "No tears, no fear, isn't that right, Georgie?" she playfully ruffled his hair, making him blink and look back to her, "How about a smile?" she said hopefully, raising her eyebrows at him, "Come on, you can do it. High five you for one?" she held up her hand and George smiled very slightly, making her grin as he high fived her, before he turned his attention back on the toys.

"There's a brave little solider," the Doctor remarked, lightly nudging George's shoulder. It always delighted him to see the Hatter around children, she always seemed to know how to handle them and speak to them on their own level. Plus, the look of happiness on her face whenever she was around them was unlike anything else. He forced himself to pull his eyes away from the Time Lady, "Anyway, let's open this cupboard, eh?" he said calmly, standing from the bed and stepping closer to the wardrobe, aiming the sonic at the doors and scanning it, "There's nothing to be…" the sonic's pitch increased, making the Hatter's eyes widen and her head snap back over to him, alarmed, "Off the scale…" he breathed, stunned as he checked the readings to be sure, "Off the scale," he stepped back until his legs hit the bed, sitting back down beside the Time Lady, staring back at the wardrobe, "Off the scale…" he blinked, shaking his head as he looked back to the Hatter, "How…?"

The Hatter swallowed, wrapping her arm comforting around George's shoulders, "I don't know, Doctor," she murmured, her eyes fixed steadily on the wardrobe doors, very, very worried now.

The sound of the front door closing drifted through the room, when Alex pushed the bedroom door open, "Right," he sighed, stepping into the room, looking a little frazzled, "Sorry about that. So, have you got this thing open yet?" he walked over to the wardrobe, reaching for the latch.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, jumping up and hurrying over to him, making the man blink back at him in confusion, "No, no, no, no!"

"You really don't want to do that," the Hatter said urgently, shaking her head quickly.

"What?" Alex stared back at them.

"Because George's monsters are real," the Doctor answered, very seriously.

…

The Doctor opened and closed the cupboards in Alex's kitchen, while the Hatter leant against one of the benches, trying to avoid meeting Alex's angry glare as he stood beside his fridge.

"You two are supposed to be professionals!" he huffed, shaking his head angrily as the Doctor reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out three mugs, holding them up happily to the Hatter, apparently oblivious to Alex's rant, "I'll never get him to sleep now," he carried on, "It's so…irresponsible!"

The Hatter sighed heavily, reaching up to rub her forehead, "We apologise for any upset we might have caused to you and your son, Alex," she said calmly, lowering her hand to look back up to him, "However, you have no idea what danger you are both in, so stay away from the cupboard," she pointed a stern finger at him, her expression deadly serious, "Don't even _think_ about touching it," Alex blinked at her, looking quite shocked, but she ignored him and looked back across to the Doctor, who had sat the cups down on the kitchen bench and turned around to face them, "Is it just me or do you have a nagging feeling in the back of your head?" she asked him tiredly, frowning deeply, "We're missing something, I'm sure of it".

"Hmm, yes," the Doctor nodded to her, casting his eyes quickly around the room, "Something staring us in the face".

"Look, I'd like you to leave, please," Alex cut in, pointing back towards the front door as the Doctor turned back to the cups, starting to make tea, "You're just making things worse. Will you stop making tea!" he suddenly marched over to him and grabbed the cups, moving them off to the side, "I want you to leave!"

He grabbed the cups back, "No," he said simply, and walked across to the fridge. The Hatter sighed again, shaking her head.

"What?" he blinked, startled at his actual refusal to get out of his own home, "What do you mean 'no?'" he moved to shut the fridge door on him, glaring at him, "Leave. Get out!" the Doctor tried to open the door again, only for it to be pushed closed on him once more, "Now, please!"

"Well, this is going well," the Hatter muttered to herself, watching the scene unfold before her.

Alex took a deep breath, seeming to be trying to stop himself from shouting, "Look, maybe this was a bad idea," he said, "We should sort out George ourselves".

"You can't," the Doctor told him, pulling the fridge door open and grabbing the milk out, heading back over to the cups, but Alex followed him.

"No one's going to tell us how to run our lives. I don't care who you are or what wheels have been set in motion. We'll sort it!"

"You don't understand, Alex," the Hatter shook her head, making him look over to her as the Doctor poured milk into the cups, "We're not just anyone, we don't work for some agency. We're the Doctor and the Hatter," she shrugged, giving him a small smile.

He stared back at her, "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

The Doctor sat the milk down and turned back to face him, "It means we've come a long way to get here, Alex," he told him, "A _very_ long way. George sent us a message. A distress call, if you like," he frowned deeply, "Whatever's inside that cupboard is so terrible, so powerful, that it amplified the fears of an ordinary little boy across all the barriers of time and space".

"Eh?" Alex blinked, completely bewildered.

"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire. Through empires of glass and civilisations of pure thought, and a whole, terrible, wonderful Universe of impossibilities. You see our eyes?" he gestured between himself and the Hatter, not taking his eyes off Alex's, "They're old eyes. And one thing I can tell you, Alex…monsters _are_ real".

Alex stared back at him, his mouth hanging open, stunned, "You're not from Social Services, are you?" he finally managed to get out.

The Hatter smiled slightly, walking over to him and patting his arm comfortingly, "Not exactly, no," she admitted, shrugging, "But never mind that!" she looked brightly back across to the Doctor, "Let's have a nice cup of tea, huh? Tea makes everything better".

The Doctor grinned, pointing at her before looking back to Alex, "You got any Jammie Dodgers?"

 _ **I feel so horrible for having the Doctor and the Hatter going off on adventure's that involves a child so soon after sending Astra away. Still, at least their handling it all well and in their own ways, I can imagine the Doctor being the type of person who would try and ignore their grief by trying to distract themselves while the Hatter tends to dwell more and get lost in her own thoughts when she's grieving.**_

 _ **Next chapter, a bit of flirting, scary dolls, and just what impact will this little adventure have on the Hatter in the end? I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought.**_

 _ **Guest reviews**_ _ **(Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, it made my day):**_

 _ **Guest 16 (1):**_ _ **Yes, a pre-Time War version of the Hatter would have worked, too. I might even write a one-shot with the Ninth Doctor running into a younger version of her by accident. It's a good excuse to be able to include him more into the story, anyway, since it's sadly a little hard to do that with the Hatter not being around during his era. Thank you for the suggestion, I'll have to try and think of something.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter had gone evil at the end of the Time War, it would have been out of grief for her children and she would have completely destroyed Rassilon's plans and insured that he lost all of his power, though if she had gone to the dark side, I don't think she would have kicked him off Gallifrey like Twelve did. She would have found a much more permanent solution. But at the end of that, I don't think she would have been able to live with herself and I fear that not even the Doctor would have been able to bring her back from that edge.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **If the Hatter had been captured and held by Torchwood One, I think that the Hatter would have been furious to learn that she had been kept from him by Torchwood, that they had been holding her like a prisoner, because I think that's probably exactly what Torchwood One would have done. The Doctor would have been a lot less inclined to help Torchwood after that and the Hatter would have been very wary of Jack after learning where he worked. I mean, the Doctor would probably have almost hit Jack, he was angry enough as it was in the show to learn who Jack worked for.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I've watched the unfinished TV version of the episode Shada, but I haven't read or looked into the Eighth Doctor's version of it, so I'm afraid that my knowledge on the episode it quite limited and it's unlikely that I'll probably end up writing anything for it. I did do a tiny bit about the TV version for it during 'the Five Doctors and Hatters'.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **Well, if in some impossible Universe Rose somehow managed to turn the Doctor against the Hatter, I really don't know what would happen. I just…yeah, I can't imagine the Doctor ever falling for something like that. Ever. Rose couldn't even try and convince the Doctor that the Hatter should go travelling off on her own, I don't know how she would even start to get the Doctor to turn on the Hatter and the Hatter would easily talk the Doctor around again. I just can't see how it would work, logically speaking.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **I think that if the Water's of Mar's had gone differently and the Hatter hadn't been able to stop the Doctor, I think that the Hatter would have been so furious with him over what he had done that she would have probably left the TARDIS, needing the space to think and a break from the Doctor so that she didn't end up killing him. she probably would have gone to stay with Sarah Jane or Martha.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **Lots or sarcasm from the Hatter. She tends to use a lot of sarcasm on people that she doesn't like, like with the Master, so if she and the Doctor didn't get along, then she would probably act much the same way as she does with the Master. The Doctor would probably do things to purposely annoy her, like calling her Hat instead and insulting her hats. For some reason I can see them being very childish towards each other if they hated one another.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter ever did go over to the dark side, I think that the Doctor would try to get through to her through her sense of compassion and, if that failed, which would probably be quite likely, he would try and get through to her through the special moments they've shared together over their friendship and he probably wouldn't be afraid to pull out the big guns and talk about her children. The Hatter would probably pretend that the Doctor was getting through to her, only for her to complete trick him and lure him into a trap, locking him up to make sure that he stopped interfering. The poor Doctor really wouldn't stand much of a chance.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **I really have no idea how he'll regenerate, but I'm excited and terrified to see. Maybe he'll die saving Bill, it's already very clear that he's willing to risk his own health and safety for her, even going blind in order to save her, so maybe that was a bit of foreshadowing? I'm kind of learning towards something like that, but I really have no idea. I'm going to miss Twelve, he's seemed to have softened a little bit this past season.**_

 _ **Guest 8 (10):**_ _ **Well, I've actually considered writing a story like that where, in another Universe, the Hatter became friends with the Master first and ends up falling in love with him instead of the Doctor, and thus goes down that dark path of controlling the Universe. The only difference is that it was the Hatter who went into that other Universe and talked her dark self around, not the Doctor, but it could definitely work either way. I've had the story in my head for the past three years and even started writing a little bit of it, but things have just become so busy that finding the chance to write with school can be a bit tricky, but it's one of those stories that I would love to try and write when I have the time to do so.**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **We will see a moment like that coming up, if my originally idea for the episode goes according to how I see it at this moment. I really hope it does end up happening because I really like the moment and how it gives a real insight into the Hatter's emotional state, so fingers crossed that when I start writing the episode it will fit in smoothly.**_


	22. Chapter 22 Night Terrors, Part 2

_**Night Terrors, Part 2**_

The Doctor and the Hatter sat on the sofa in Alex's living room, the two of them looking down at the photo album in the Time Lady's lap, eyeing the pictures of Claire that had been taken at some sort of Christmas party a month before she gave birth to George. Something just wasn't right about the pictures, something felt wrong and they just couldn't help coming back to the same page of pictures. What were they missing?

"What is it with these photos?" the Doctor muttered, frowning as he glanced at the Hatter, "Dear?"

"It's like it's on the tip of my tongue," she sighed, absently tapping her nails on the side of her empty tea cup, before leaning forward to place it on the coffee table, sitting back, "I feel like it should be so painfully obvious to me right now, that when it finally hits me I am going to feel like such an idiot".

"Impossible," he flashed her a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek, "You, an _idiot_? Never".

She smiled fondly at him, "Yes, I suppose there really is only room for _one_ idiot in this marriage".

He playfully flicked her nose, making her scrunch up her face and bat his hand away, "You know, you make the most adorable face when I do that," he commented quietly, enjoying watching the blush spread over her cheeks.

"Hush, you," she shifted embarrassedly.

"Make me".

"Hmm, don't tempt me…"

He forced himself to drag his eyes off hers, that irresistible cheeky, challenging glint in her eyes that made him feel like he was in danger of quite possibly taking her hand and heading straight back to the TARDIS right then and there. It had been ages since they had flirted like that, allowed themselves get wrapped up in a moment were it was only about them and how they felt, and nothing else. It felt like the old days again, when none of the heartbreak and grief had happened, when it was just the two of them happy and relatively carefree. He could barely remember the last time that they had done more than just hold each other, usually while the Hatter wept into his chest as he tried desperately to figure out a way to console her.

He missed that passionate, impulsive side of her that would laugh even at the slightest thing and tease and flirt with him without a care, even when the situation was probably unwise to be getting distracted in such a way. He so desperately wanted to see that bright, bubbly side of her come back, because while he knew that she was trying so hard and might even be fooling Amy and Rory into believing that she was handling everything okay, he could see straight through her. He knew that every waking hour she was constantly thinking about Astra. It was torture for her, for them _both_ , to be separated from their own baby, and it would always be torture for them, for as long as they both lived.

He swallowed, hard, and reached out to take her hand and squeeze it, "Anyway," he said in a slightly strained voice, forcing himself to pull himself from his own thoughts and focus back on the task at hand: George and his mysterious cupboard. He glanced back over to Alex, who sat in his armchair as the Hatter closed the photo album, placing it back on the coffee table, "Good. Nice tea," he held up his own teacup as he continued, before sitting it down on the table before him, "Nothing like a cuppa, but, decisions. Should we open the cupboard?" he raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between the brunet and Alex.

Alex spat out his tea, almost chocking as his head snapped back up to stare in alarm at him, "What?" he exclaimed.

"Should we?" he frowned, looking less sure now, focusing back on the Time Lady.

"Well…" he began.

"Got to open the cupboard, haven't we?" he shook his head, cutting Alex off, sounding completely sure of himself now. The Hatter simply raised her eyebrows, amused. He didn't even wait for either of them to say a thing, going on, "Course we have!" he turned to look at Alex, jumping onto his feet, though he still hadn't let go of the brunet's hand, "Come on, Alex! Alex, come on! How else will we ever find out what's going on here?" he pointed back towards George's room.

"Right," Alex quickly stood, and pointed back at the Doctor, frowning, "But you said…"

"Monsters! Yeah, well, that's what we do. Breakfast, dinner, and tea. Fight the monsters! So this…" he clapped his hands together, "This is just an average day at the office for us".

"Okay, yeah," he nodded, moving closer to him, "You're right".

"Or maybe we shouldn't open the cupboard," he backtracked again, a deep frown crossing his face.

"Eh?" he blinked, looking completely confused.

The Hatter sighed and stood, shaking her head at the Doctor, "Oh, honestly, sweetheart," she muttered. He was only confusing the man even more; it was actually starting to give her a headache listening to the back and forth. He was really letting his mind run away with his mouth right now.

The Doctor looked worriedly back to the Hatter, eyeing her closely, "We have no idea what might be in there," he said quickly, shaking his head, "How powerful, how evil that thing might be…"

Alex's eyes winded in horror, "We don't?"

"Come on, Alex! Alex, come on! Are you crazy? We can't open the cupboard!"

"God, no! No, we mustn't!"

"Oh, for…" the Hatter rolled her eyes and let go of the Doctor's hand, lightly pushing him back and moving to stand in-between the two of them, seeing how worked up and distressed the Doctor had managed to make Alex, "Would you just _shut up_?" she shot the Doctor a look, pointing a stern finger at him, actually making him blink, "You are so not helping and I'm just a little afraid that if this keeps up, poor Alex is going to end up having a stroke from the stress. Now…" she took a deep breath, looking calmly between both men, "There's no other choice. We have to do it".

Alex gave her a blank look, as if he couldn't even find the energy to try and be confused any more, not after what the Doctor had just put him through, "Do what?" he asked.

She took his hand, and then the Doctor's, giving them a bright smile, "We're going to open the cupboard, of course," she replied, as if it was obvious, "Come on!" she turned on her heel and, not even waiting to give Alex time to protest, tugged them out of the room and off down the hallway.

"What about my tea?" the Doctor moaned, "I could have done with a bit of liquid courage, dear".

"I told you to shut up, don't make me find another way to insure that you do. I've had enough of your nonsense, mister".

He winced, casting her back a slightly scared look, "Yes, dear".

They made it to George's door and the Hatter pushed the door open, letting go of Alex's hand as she and the Doctor moved to stand before the wardrobe doors, while George climbed out of bed and hid behind him father's legs, clutching onto the back of them, his eyes wide with fear as Alex reached down and put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. The Doctor moved his head side to side, cracking his neck before he paused, glancing back to the Hatter.

The Hatter noticed and narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Don't you dare even say it," she warned him darkly, squeezing his hand tightly, just enough to let him know that she was very serious right now.

He swallowed, nodding quickly, "Wouldn't dream of it," he said hurriedly, his voice slightly higher than normal. They walked slowly closer to the wardrobe doors, when he suddenly pressed his ear against the door, making Alex jump and gasp. He reached down and touched the latch, glancing at the Hatter, before he pulled the latch and yanked the doors open, the two of them both leaping back. But they both paused, frowning at the inside of the wardrobe in confusion.

There was nothing, nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. There was a few articles of clothing hanging on hangers and a number of old toys that had been tossed into the bottom, even a large Georgian style dollhouse. The Doctor quickly pushed the clothing aside and stared down at the toys, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't understand," he frowned, turning back around to look back to the others, shaking his head as he glanced at the Hatter, who looked just as puzzled as him, "It has to be cupboard," he threw the wardrobe another look over his shoulder, "The readings from the sonic screwdriver, they were…"

The Hatter blinked suddenly and a loud gasped escaped her, before she slapped a hand across her mouth. Of course! How could she have been so blind to not have noticed straight away? They had been so focused on it being the cupboard that neither she nor the Doctor had even stopped to consider that it might be something else, something completely different.

"I've been a fool," she breathed in disbelief with herself, lowering her hand from her mouth, staring off into the distance as the Doctor and Alex looked at her in confusion, "A blind, stupid fool!" she suddenly turned on her heel and ran out of the bedroom before the Doctor could even open his mouth. He moved to follow her, frowning worriedly, when she came running back into the room with the photo album in open in her hands, very nearly slamming straight into the Doctor's chest, but he managed to catch her shoulders before she could, "Look at this," she urged him, hardly even seeming to notice the near crash, pushing the book into his chest, her eyes wide, "Look at it, Doctor!"

He blinked, a little startled by how insisted she seemed, but still took the book from her hands and looked down at the page to see that she had opened it back onto the pictures of Claire from Christmas, right before George's birth. At first he didn't see anything, when he suddenly clicked into place and his head snapped up to look back to her, seeing her nodding in confirmation. He turned back to Alex, "How old is George, Alex?" he asked him quickly.

"What?" Alex frowned, startled by the question, "How old?"

"Yes," he nodded, eyeing him closely, "How old is George?"

"Well, I told you. Just turned eight".

"And you were there when he was born, yes?" the Hatter raised her eyebrows, taking a step closer to the man as he frowned again, nodding, "Then you'll remember that day very well, won't you? The most important day of your life, welcoming your child into the world".

Alex laughed slightly, "Of course".

"Course you do," the Doctor agreed, memories of Astra being born swimming through his mind, the first time that he held his son and daughter from his first marriage in his arms, seeing Jenny step out of the machine and call him and the Hatter 'mum and dad'. All those precious memories, how could anyone possibly ever forget something as special as that? No matter how many centuries might pass, he never would, he would treasure them always, "How could you not?" he shook his head and held the photo album between himself and Alex, pointing to the pictures of Claire at Christmas, "You and Claire. Christmas Eve, 2002, right?" he glanced back to him.

"What?" he looked quickly down at the pictures, before nodding, "Er…yeah".

"That would have been just before George's birth," the Time Lady remarked, watching Alex's face closely, "Mere weeks, in fact. The day he was born, it must have been the most magical day of your life," she smiled faintly, "Tell us about it".

"Well, it was the best day of my…" he stopped suddenly, frowning slightly, as if he was having trouble remembering. He shook his head, looking back to them, "Life".

"Sure?" the Doctor questioned, raising his eyebrows.

He blinked slightly, "Yes".

"You don't _sound_ sure".

"What are you trying to say?" he demanded, his voice shaking slightly. He hurried past them and rushed over towards the bedroom door, "Look, I don't like this. I've told you before…I want you to go!" he tried, pointing back towards the front door, but his voice was still shaking and he looked quite frightened and confused.

The Hatter gave him a comforting look, "It's okay, Alex," she said soothingly, seeing how upset he was getting. She glanced quickly back over to George, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the whole thing with big, scared eyes, "I know that this is all very confusing," she turned back to him, holding up her hands, "But it's important that you think, you need to push through the fear and _think_ back. Remember".

"I can't…!" he shook his head quickly, holding up a hand to the side of his head, "Oh, don't…" he squeezed his eyes shut briefly, pressing his fingers against his temples, "Oh, this is scary!"

"No, Alex, _this_ is scary," the Doctor said, flipping the page of the album over to show him the pictures of Claire holding baby George, "Claire with baby George. Newborn, yes?"

"Yes," he nodded, dropping his hands from his head to look.

"Less than a month after Christmas".

"So?"

"So look," he flipped back to the Christmas photos, "Look!"

"Claire's not pregnant," the Hatter said quickly, pointing at one of the pictures of Claire, her stomach flat, no trace of a baby bump at all.

"What?" Alex exclaimed, shaking his head.

"She's not pregnant," she repeated, sighing, "Trust me, the last several months have made me a bit of an expert on the subject".

"Well, of course not!" he suddenly shouted, "Claire can't have kids!" he broke off with a gasp, his eyes widening in shock, realising what he had just blurted out.

The Doctor carefully closed the album, staring back at him, "Say that again," he said quietly.

"We tried everything. She was desperate. As much IVF as we could afford, but…" he paused, swallowing hard, "Claire can't have kids," he looked down as they watched him closely, "How…how can I have forgotten that?" he breathed, looking back up to them.

Slowly, they turned to look over to George as he stared back up at them, toying with his fingers.

"Who are you, George?" the Doctor asked him softly, eyeing him carefully.

"He's not possible," Alex stared down at him, stunned, "This isn't…" he broke off, shaking his head quickly.

The Hatter took a small step towards him, ignoring the Doctor as he tried to grab her hand, "George?" she began gently, unable to help herself. She knew that she was probably being stupid going near George when they had no idea what he was, how powerful he might be or his true intentions, but she was finding it hard to look passed his appearance of a scared little boy. Every instinct in her told her to try and comfort him, it was clouding even her sense of self-preservation which, granted, wasn't exactly very well developed trait of hers in the first place.

George began breathing heavily, when suddenly the entire room started shaking, making the Doctor quickly move forward to grab the Hatter's hand, pulling her back towards him as they all looked around the room. The lights started too flash brightly and the edges of the wardrobe doors glowed with a bright white light, when the door suddenly sprung open. It was as if a strong force reached out and grabbed the back of their clothing, dragging them backwards towards the wardrobe as a strong wind blew through the room. They tried desperately to struggle against the force, trying to dig their heels into the ground, all the while the Doctor and the Hatter fought to reach out to George as he stared back at them, terrified.

"George!" the Doctor called urgently over the wind, "George, what's going on? Are you doing it?"

"What's happening?" Alex cried, looking almost as scared as George.

"It's okay, George!" the Hatter said loudly, screwing her face up with the effort to try and stop herself from being pulled backward, but she didn't have the same strength as the Doctor and Alex. She was finding it harder to fight, "We just want to try and help!" she desperately tried to tell him.

George closed his eyes and pulled his legs up to his chin, wrapping his arms around them, "Please save me from the monsters!" he begged, "Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters!"

"George!" the Doctor yelled, reaching back to grab the edge of the wardrobe, trying to stop himself from being pulled inside.

"Please, George!" the Hatter tried, just trying to dig her heels into the ground.

"Help me!" Alex gasped, looking frantically back to the Time Lords.

"Please save me from the monsters!" George continued to chant, his eyes squeezed shut, "Please save me from the monsters! Please save me from the monsters…!"

"George, no!" the Doctor cried as he was sucked into the wardrobe, disappearing into the bright white light.

"Doctor!" the Hatter screamed, when she was pulled in right after him, still struggling.

"George!" Alex shouted as he was dragged in, too, the doors slamming shut behind them.

…

The Hatter awoke with a start, her eyes snapping open to find herself lying on her back, staring up at a darkened, high ceiling with elaborate crown moulding running around the edges of the room, or at least that's what it first appeared to be. As she squinted her eyes to look closer, she realised that it wasn't crown moulding at all, just painted look that way. She slowly sat upright, pleased to find no dizziness coming over her, that was a good side effect of no longer being pregnant, and tried to look around the darkened room.

The room looked like they had appeared in someone's dining room in the Georgian era, judging by the large windows, high ceilings, and the large, dark wooden table that was set up in the middle of the room. It even looked like it had food covering it, but it was hard to tell for sure from her position on the floor. There was a slight movement from the corner of her eye, almost making her jump, but when she looked it was to find the Doctor lying on the floor beside her, on his side and with his eyes still closed. Alex was in a similar state on the other side of her.

"Doctor," she breathed, giving his arm a gentle shake. He stirred slightly, "Sweetheart, wake up. Come on," she moved a piece of his fridge back from off his forehead.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and squinted sleepily up at her, a small smile crossing his face, "Hatter…" he muttered happily, when he suddenly blinked and sat upright, wide awake, "Are you okay?" he grabbed her arms and quickly began checking her over.

She smiled fondly and took his hands, "I'm fine, sweetheart," she assured him.

He nodded, apparently satisfied, and quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before he helped her back onto her feet, "George!" he called up at the ceiling, waking Alex with a small start. He jumped over the man and hurried over to one of the doors, lightly hitting his open palm against it, while the Hatter reached down to help Alex up, "George, don't do this!" he continued urgently, "We want to help you, George!"

Poor Alex seemed to be having a little trouble dealing with their current situation, his face pale as he leaned a on the Hatter's shoulder, staring around in shock, "We went…we went into the cupboard," he said in a trembling voice as the Doctor moved back over to the table, eyeing the food sitting on it curiously, "We went into the cupboard!" he stumbled back from the Hatter, who watched him in concern, "How can it be bigger in here?"

"More common than you'd think, actually," the Doctor remarked, leaning down to sniff what appeared to be a chicken sitting in the middle of the table.

"You'll be okay," the Hatter told him comfortingly, still watching him carefully, "It's a tricky concept for humans to get the hang of, but you will".

"Where are we?" Alex looked around widely, panic written across his face.

"Obvious, isn't it?" the Doctor said offhand, straightening.

"No!"

"We're inside a doll's house," the Hatter said, casting her eyes around the room, noticing more and more that most of the fine detailing was actually painted on. She picked up one of the plates from the table and knocked her knuckles against it, "See?" she glanced back over to Alex, "Wood. It's all just wood and a bit of fancy paint, just like in a doll's house".

"The doll's house?" Alex repeated, staring back at her as if she was insane.

"Yeah, in the cupboard, in your flat," the Doctor nodded, moving around to stand beside the Hatter, taking her hand, "The doll's house".

"No, no!" he shook his head quickly, "Would you just slow down, would you?"

"Look!" the Doctor cut across him, "Wooden chicken!" he plucked the chicken off the table and threw it at Alex, who managed to catch it, "Cups, saucers, plates…" he picked up each item as he spoke, tossing them at Alex, the poor man somehow managing to still catch each one of them, "Knives, forks, fruit, chicken! Wood, just like the Hatter said. So…" he paused, holding up a finger as he cast his eyes around the room, "We're either inside the doll's house or this is a refuge for dirty posh people who eat wooden food…"

"Which is less likely," the Hatter commented, a small smile tugging on the corner's of her lips, "Though, not impossible".

He clicked his fingers and pointed them at her in agreement, "Or…termites!" he added brightly, making her smile widen, "Giant termites trying to get on the property ladder. No…" he suddenly shook his head and grabbed a yellow melon off the table, shoving it into Alex's already full arms, "That's possible," he frowned, glancing at the Hatter, " _Is_ that possible?"

"Sounds a little scary if it was," she said, amused.

"Maybe giant termites aren't the best idea, then".

"I would say so, yeah. Let's stick to our doll's house theory".

"And this is why you're the clever one," he flashed her a grin, quickly kissing her cheek before she could even blink.

She shook her head fondly as they turned and headed out of the room, leaving Alex to hurry to catch up with them, dropping the wooden food and plates as he went. They made their way out into a long, darkened hallway, the walls covered in dark wood panelling.

"Look, will you stop?" Alex grabbed the Doctor's arm, breathing heavily as he moved to stand in front of them both, clutching onto the Doctor's lapels, "What is he?" he demanded, almost frantically, his eyes flying back and forth between them, "What is George? And how could I forget that Claire can't have kids? _How_?"

"Alex, it's something called a perception filter," the Hatter explained to him, keeping her voice steady as she reached out to carefully ease his hands off the Doctor's lapels as she spoke. She sighed slightly, glancing at the Doctor, "That also explains why I didn't notice anything before".

The Doctor smiled slightly and clapped Alex's shoulder, before grabbing her hand and setting off once more, "Never mind that, dear," he said, shaking his head, "It must have been some kind of hugely powerful perception filter. Convinced you and Claire, everyone," he paused before an oval shaped mirror, smiling widey to show all of his teeth, while the Hatter rolled her eyes in the background of his reflection, "Made you change your memories," he continued, frowning thoughtfully as he meet the Hatter's eyes in the mirror, "Now…what could do that?"

"Too soon to say," she sighed, "We need more data".

He nodded and the two of them headed off again, still holding hands as Alex paused, glancing at the mirror, "Just a mirror," he muttered, running off after the Time Lords, quickly catching up with them, just as they walked through a door and into what appeared to be an entrance hall, an electric candle holder with five candles on it sitting on the floor.

"So, Claire can't have kids and something responded to that," the Doctor commented thoughtfully, looking at the Hatter as they entered the room, Alex quickly shutting the door behind him, "Responded to that need. What could do that?"

"I thought _you_ were the experts, fighting monsters all day," Alex frowned at them, pointing at them, looking quite upset, "You tell me!"

"Alex…" the Hatter began, wanting to try and calm him down, seeing how stressed and upset he was getting. She felt sorry for the man, not only had he just found out that his little boy might not even be human, he had also just been separated from his child and thrown into a giant doll's house which was just a little bit creepy.

"Oi!" the Doctor called sternly, turning back around to face him, "Listen, mush. Old eyes, remember?" he gestured between himself and the Time Lady, not taking his eyes off Alex, "We've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks we've been round and re-built them as bigger blocks…super blocks! And we've been round them as well. I can't remember everything".

"The Universe is far too vast to be able to remember _everything_ ," the Time Lady agreed, nodding, "But usually we get there in the end".

"Doctor…" Alex began, looking around widely as he turned on the spot, "Hatter…"

"It's like trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party when you were two," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head, not listening to word of what Alex said.

"Doctor, Hatter, the lift".

"And I can't just pump for Brian like I normally do," he continued, looking quite disappointed about that.

The Hatter blinked at him, "You got to go to parties when you were two?" she asked, pouting slightly, "All I got to do was listen to frankly terrifying but highly educational nursery stories about meddling with time, including the occasional puppet show that would leave me with nightmares," she shook her head, looking a little unnerved as she thought back.

In fact, from the moment she was born she was forced to start learning, even if she wasn't physically capable to hold a book for herself. By the time she was two years old she could have easily have given even the best human scientist a run for his or her money…well, unless it was to do with botany and she was only just starting to be able to speak properly by that point, but mentally she was more than capable. Still, even by Time Lord standard's that was considered to be a little extreme for a Time Tot to be that advanced.

The Doctor gave her a small, sad smile and moved to pat her arm comfortingly, "They were pretty lousy parties," he told her, trying to cheer her up a bit since he knew how much she had missed out on doing during her childhood, before pausing, "Though, it was a little funny to see the Master get in trouble for biting that one time…"

"Doctor!" Alex shouted suddenly, grabbing the Doctor and the Hatter's arms, drawing their attention back to him, "Hatter, listen!"

"Shh," he hushed, holding up a finger to silence Alex as they listened closely, hearing a funny, rumbling noise that almost sounded, strangely enough, like someone's heavy breathing. He frowned slightly, glancing back to the Hatter and Alex, "What's that?" he questioned them.

"It's the lift," Alex said at once, turning to them, his eyes widening, "It's the sound that the lift makes. George is scared stiff of it…" he trailed off as he looked over his shoulder, only to see the five electrical candles switch themselves off, one by one. He stepped over to it and crouched down, watching it carefully as, after a moment, the lights started to turn back on, one by one. The Hatter watched curiously from behind him, "Five times…" he muttered, just as they went out again.

"Five times?" the Hatter said curiously as the Doctor looked up from where he had wondered over towards a nearby door.

"The lights," he pointed to the fake candles, eyeing them, "It's happening five times," he looked back up to the Time Lords as the Doctor walked back over to them, taking the Hatter's hand as they watched the candles light up again, "It's like one of George's habits. We have to switch the lights on and off five times".

"Now you're getting it," the Doctor smiled, watching the lights closely.

He frowned, confused, "What do you mean?"

"When George is frightened by something, what do you tell him to do?" the Hatter looked back across to Alex, raising her eyebrows, already knowing the answer. She needed Alex to say it, though, needed him to finally start to understand exactly what was going on and why.

"Well, put it in the…cupboard…"

She smiled as he blinked back at her, "Exactly," she nodded, "Little George, he's not just any little boy and when he's afraid by something, he hide's it away inside his cupboard," she shrugged, "Just like you said, any toys he finds scary, just like this doll's house…" she waved her free hand around the room that they were standing in as she spoke, "He's even managed to take the noises that he finds frightening and put them in here, like the sound of the lift".

"Even his little rituals have become part of it," the Doctor added, nodding quickly along with her, "A psychic repository for all his fears, but what is he?" he frowned, shaking his head.

The sound of a childish laugh sounded from behind them and they briefly glanced behind them and back again, when they stopped, meeting each other's eyes. Slowly, the three of them looked back towards the half open door to find a life-size wooden doll in a Georgian style dress step into the room, its oversized head slowly turning towards them with another childish giggle, but it's painted thin lips didn't move as it stared back at them with unblinking painted eyes.

"Oh, my God!" Alex exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening. He jumped onto his feet as the three of them took a step back from the oversized doll, the Doctor reaching into his pocket and whipping out his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the doll as it started to advance on them with jerky movements, but it didn't even make the doll hesitate, "A gun?" he shouted at the Doctor, alarmed as he stared at the sonic screwdriver, "You've got a gun?"

"The sonic screwdriver is not a gun!" the Hatter huffed, looking quite outraged that he would even dare suggest such a thing, regardless of whether or not it was really the time to be getting offended about such a thing.

"Wood!" the Doctor moaned as the doll continued moving towards them, the sonic apparently having not effect at all. He shook his head as he looked back over to the Hatter, "We've got to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing".

The Time Lady nodded quickly, nervously eyeing the doll as it moved closer, "Let's put it on the list of the things we really need to do, right beneath fixing the dent in the eighties and above cleaning out your junk rooms," she agreed hurriedly.

He slipped his sonic back in his pocket and tugged on her hand, the three of them turning and running off across to the other side of the room to a door, the dolls creepy giggle sounding through the room. He pulled the door open and found a pair of huge purple children's safety scissors leaning against a second door, grabbing them a little awkwardly and shoving the dull tip into the doll's chest, knocking it back from them.

"Come on!" he shouted urgently, taking the opportunity to run past the doll and across to a third door, taking the scissors with him.

"Don't run away," the doll called after them in a child's voice, "We just want to play!"

The Hatter quickly slammed the door shut behind them, but there wasn't any lock to try and prevent the doll from following after them, much to her disappointment, "As if doll's weren't creepy enough," she muttered, pulling a face.

The Doctor grimaced and nodded quickly as they hurried off again, holding the scissors out in front of him in case they ran into anymore dolls. They had made it into what appeared to be another large foyer area, this one quite grand and with a large staircase running up along the side of the room, overlooking the room and the large front doors that were notably missing doorhandles and appeared to be bolted shut by a large, wooden lock that ran across the two doors.

"Okay," she began, casting her eyes warily around the room, swallowing nervously as each shadow looked like it could have easily have been hiding a doll in it, "So we're dealing with a massive psychic field, then we also have a very strong perception filter, and the desperate desire to have a child," she listed off, her mind racing trying to come up with what being that they might be dealing with.

The Doctor spun around; when he spotted the doll had followed after them. He handed the scissors to Alex, who quickly turned and started pushing the doll back as he looked back to the Time Lady, following her train of thought, "Yes, that need of Claire's to…to…" he stopped suddenly, realisation finally hitting him.

She blinked, catching on, "Oh…" she breathed, closing her eyes briefly and shaking her head, "We are such idiots, blind and stupid idiots!"

"George is a Tenza!" he exclaimed, smacking his forehead, or he would have, had the Hatter not grabbed his wrist right before he could. He sighed, but still gave her a quick, grateful look, knowing that it probably would have hurt if she hadn't stopped him, "Of course he is".

Alex's eyes widened, looking back over his shoulder to them, "He's a _what_?"

"A cuckoo. A cuckoo in the nest".

"He has to be a Tenza," the Hatter remarked, nodding as she glanced back over to Alex, "It's the only thing that fits…" the Doctor rushed over to a door on the side of the room and pushed it open, only to yelp and shut it again, finding another doll standing behind it, dressed in a military uniform. She cast him a quick, concerned look before turning back to Alex, "You see, millions of them hatch in space, they drift around for a little while and search for a nice nest for them to grow up in".

The Doctor grabbed her hand again as they moved across the room, closer to the base of the staircase as Alex backed back towards them, the second doll in the uniform stepping out into the foyer, advancing on them, too. He tried a third door, only to find another doll standing behind it, quickly slamming it closed, "The Tenza young can sense exactly what their foster parents want and then they assimilate perfectly," he explained, pressing his back against the third door, trying to stop the doll from getting through.

"George is an…alien?" Alex gasped, trying to fight the two dolls back.

"Quite so," the Hatter nodded, giving him a little smile.

"But he's…he's _our_ child!"

"Of course he is," the Doctor agreed at once, "The child you always wanted," he and the Hatter started heading up the stairs, just as the third doll stepped through the door, Alex quickly turning to try and shove it back, "He sensed that instinctively and sought you out, but something scared him…" Alex backed up the staircase to them, trying to block the dolls from following them, "Started this circle of fear," he continued, frowning slightly as he glanced back to the Hatter, who was looking very thoughtful, "It's all completely instinctive, subconscious".

"Poor George doesn't even know that he's controlling it," the Time Lady sighed, meeting his eyes, "So it's up to us to _make_ him aware, because he's the only one who can fix all this".

"George!" he called, lightly pulling her further up the stairs and onto the next flight, which curved off to the left, the dolls still advancing on them despite Alex's attempts to block them, "George, you're the only one who can stop this, but you have to believe!"

"You have to believe that you are safe!" she shouted up at the ceiling, grabbing the banister, "You need to know, to realise that you are safe and protected!" she shot the dolls a quick look, "I know that you're scared and that's okay, sometimes it's good to be scared, but no one can save you from the monsters, only you can!"

"George, listen to us! George! Listen to us!"

The Hatter blinked, catching sight of someone else fighting their way down the stairs towards them, holding a large mop, trying to fend off more dolls, "Rory!" she cried, relieved, though she was a little worried that she couldn't see Amy anywhere, "Thank goodness!"

"Hatter!" Rory called down to them.

"Where's Amy?" the Doctor asked, realising the same thing as the Time Lady. Rory pointed back to one of the dolls that had long red hair, making their eyes widen in horror, "Oh, no…" he breathed weakly, pulling the Hatter closer to him, "George!" he said loudly, not taking his eyes off the Amy doll, "George, you have to face your fears! You have to face them now!"

"Please, George!" the Time Lady half begged, swallowing hard at the sight of Amy, "We need you to open that cupboard, we need you to be brave, like we know you are, otherwise we are going to be trapped in here forever, in a living death! George!"

"George, listen to us! George! George, listen to us! George!" they backed back until they were standing on the landing, the dolls advancing on them from both sides, trapping them, "Please! George, you have to end this! End this, _end this_! End this _now_!"

The Hatter closed her eyes tightly and turned her head, pressing her face into the Doctor's shoulder, really not wanting to see what was about to happen…when all the childish laughter and giggling just stopped. She frowned and lifted her head, looking around in surprise to see that all the dolls had just stopped, frozen in place as they all panted for breathe.

"What…?" she trailed off as she looked down over the banister to see George standing in the middle of the room below them, staring back up at them, "George…" she breathed, breaking into a broad smile, "You did it, you brave boy! It's going to be okay," she added quickly, giving him a comforting look, "You're going to be just fine, everything is…"

The dolls started moving again, but they weren't interested in them, in fact they completely ignored them and instead started making their way back down the stairs towards George.

"No," the Doctor said quickly, his eyes widening in alarm, "No! No, no, no, no, no!" he looked back down to George, holding out his hand as the Hatter tightened her grip on the banister, "George, you created this whole world. This whole thing," he told him urgently, "You can smash it. You can destroy it!"

George glanced fearfully at the dolls as they made their way down towards him, shaking his head.

"Something's holding him back," he realised, looking back to the Hatter, knowing that out of the two of them, she would be more likely to figure it out, "Hatter? Any ideas?"

The Hatter grabbed the zipper of her jacket and absently fiddled with it, desperately trying to think, "When we first meet him…" she started slowly, when it hit her and her head snapped back up, everything clicking into place, "Rejection!" she spun back around to point at Alex, who blinked, startled, "That's it, that's the trigger! When we first introduced ourselves, George was afraid that the Doctor had come to take him away. That's what started this whole thing in the first place; he thought you were rejecting him, that someone was going to take him away from you!"

Alex looked hurriedly back down to the advancing dolls as they neared George, before looking back to them, "Well, we…we talked about it…" he admitted.

"And he heard you talking," she nodded, casting a quick look over the banister, "Children, they hear everything, Alex, no matter how hard you might try to stop them. They can sense things, like when their parents are fighting or something bad has happened. George is even more sensitive, he could sense that you were thinking that way".

"A Tenza's sole function is to fit in, to be wanted," the Doctor said firmly, meeting Alex's eyes, "And you were _rejecting_ him".

"We just couldn't cope! We needed help!"

"Yes, but George is just a _child_ ," the Hatter sighed, speaking quickly, "He doesn't understand that. To him you were rejecting him and he was unwanted, and he still believes that!"

"But how can we keep him? How can we? He's not…" he trailed off, swallowing.

"Not what?" the Doctor asked at once.

Alex looked back down to see George staring back up at him in terror, the dolls surrounding him, "He's not…human".

He gave him a pointed look, "No," he agreed quietly.

"He's your son," the Hatter said softly, giving him a watery smile, feeling her eyes filling with tears, "In every way that matters, he is yours".

"Dad!" George shouted back up to them.

Alex didn't even hesitate as he shoved the scissors into the Doctor's chest and bolted down the stairs towards his son, roughly shoving the dolls out of his way as he went, pushing them away from George as he reached him and knelt down, pulling him into his arms and into a giant hug, "Whatever you are," he told him firmly as George cried into his shoulder, "Whatever you do, you're _my_ son, and I will never, _ever_ send you away," he promised, starting to grow quite tearful himself, "Oh, George. Oh, my little boy".

"Dad," George sobbed, clutching on to him as a bright white light started shining through the windows.

The Doctor wrapped the Hatter in his arms as they watched on, tears running down the brunet's face and a broad smile on her lips.

"My little boy".

"Dad".

The light grew brighter until it completely filled the room…

….

George was sitting on the kitchen bench, looking bright and happy as he giggled away, still wearing his pyjamas, while the Doctor was beside him, the two of them playing with two brightly coloured robots that could apparently transform into cars, though the Doctor was treating them more like airplanes by the sound effects that he was making. The Hatter kept shooting them small smiles as she helped Alex get some breakfast on, shaking her head in amusement, but it was wonderful to hear the kitchen filled with the sound of George's laughter. No more tears for him.

"Hi!" a woman's voice rang out from the front door, just as George laughed loudly again as the Doctor zoomed the toy around his head. A moment later a curly haired women in a nurses uniform stepped through the beaded curtain of the kitchen door, staring at the sight of the Time Lords and George giggling in shock.

"Hello!" the Doctor greeted brightly, looking over to her, "You're Claire, I expect," he sat the toy down beside George and walked over to her, giving her two air kisses.

"Lovely to meet you," the Hatter smiled, joining them and reaching out to shake Claire's hand, not bothering waiting for permission, making the already startled women blink as her hand was shaken quite enthusiastically, "We were just discussing putting some kippers on the stove," she informed her, releasing her hand and holding up a packet of the fish for her to see, raising her eyebrows, "What do you think? Personally, I'm not a fan of kippers for breakfast, more of a bacon girl myself".

"She once almost stabbed me with her fork over bacon," he remarked, shooting the Time Lady a mock wary look, "My life flashed before my eyes".

The brunet pointed the packet at him sternly, "That ought to teach you a lesson, then".

"Yeah, that my wife is willing to murder me for the last piece of bacon. Lesson learnt, dear".

"Er…" Claire blinked slowly, looking back over to Alex, who turned around from where he had been buttering some toast, "Who…?" she pointed back over to the Time Lords.

"They sent someone about George," Alex told her, putting the toast on a plate and moving to put it on the bench beside George, who happily started eating it, "It's all sorted," he moved to the stove as the Hatter passed him the packet of kippers.

Claire smiled slightly, rubbing George's back as he chewed his bread.

"We had fun today, didn't we, Georgie?" the Hatter flashed the boy a smile, leaning over to playfully ruffle his hair.

"Yeah!" George cheered, grinning broadly up at her.

"See?" the Doctor looked at Claire, shrugging, "He's fine".

"What?" Claire stared back at the Time Lords, looking stunned, "Just like that?"

"Yes," he nodded, giving her a small smile as he took the Hatter's hand, "Trust us".

Claire smiled and looked back to George, stroking his head as Alex stepped over to them, pressing a kiss to her cheek. The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other and smiled, feeling like their work was done and quite proud of themselves, too. They had brought a family back together and helped a scared little boy smile again; sometimes the simplest adventures could turn out to be some of the most important and satisfying, which this certainly had proven to be.

"I think our work here is done, sweetheart," the Hatter whispered to the Doctor, watching the scene unfold before her. She felt quite emotional seeing the little family back together again, her mind unable to stop from going back to thinking about Astra. They would never have a chance to have something like this together, as a family, just simply cooking breakfast together and enjoying each other's company. She felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes prickle hotly, but she refused to break down here and now, she refused to allow her own grief and pain get in the way right now.

The Doctor glanced at her and his expression softened, seeing how hard she was trying to keep it together right now, "Let's get out of here," he said softly, and she gave him a weak smile and nodded.

They turned and silently left the room, heading down the hallway and out the front door, heading off down the corridor for the lift.

"Doctor, Hatter, wait!" Alex suddenly called after them, running out of his front door.

"Sorry, yes," the Doctor nodded as they turned back around, stepping closer to him, "Bye," he reached out and shook his hand.

"We just didn't want to interrupt," the Hatter half-lied, giving Alex an apologetic smile, "We thought we could sneak away without being noticed".

Alex frowned slightly, looking back and forth between them as the Doctor let go of his hand, "You can't just…I mean…" he shook his head, looking lost for words.

"It's sorted," the Doctor assured him, clapped him on his shoulder, "You sorted it," he grabbed his hand again and shook it happily, "We're proud of you," he and the Hatter turned, starting to head off again.

"What, that's it?" he blinked, staring after them.

They turned back to him, the Hatter flashing him a smile, "It's a pretty good start, isn't it?" she raised her eyebrows, shrugging, "Look, you'll be fine, you're a wonderful father. Just make sure he eats his vegetables, gets into a good school, and does his homework".

"But is he going to…I don't know, sprout another head or three eyes or something?"

She smiled, shaking her head in amusement, "He'll be fine, Alex, he's a Tenza, so he'll adapt perfectly".

"Hey!" the Doctor grinned, pointing at George as he stepped out of the flat, patting Alex's shoulder as he glanced back to see his son, "Be whatever you want to be," he and the Hatter turned, starting to head off again as Alex smiled and walked over to his son, putting his hand on his shoulder, when the Time Lords stopped and turned back to look at them, "We might pop back around puberty, mind you," he called back to them, "Always a funny time…" he cleared his throat, his eyes flickering over to the Hatter.

He recalled, quite vividly his own mortifying experience of going through puberty. He must have grown six inches over night and his skin suddenly broke out, his voice went all funny and started breaking at the most embarrassing moments, usually while he was trying to talk to the Hatter who he could barely even look in the eye without blushing bright red. But the dreams…those had to be one of the worst parts, not to mention the daydreams in class or at other times when it was just him and the Hatter, alone. Blimey, the things he went through during that time, all those hormones, he truly thought that it was going to end up killing him.

The Hatter smiled a little too smugly for the Doctor's liking, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, "See you later, Alex, Georgie!" she smiled, wiggling her fingers back to father and son in a wave, before she started tugging the Doctor off.

"Kippers are getting cold!" Claire's voice drifted back to them from inside the flat as they went.

The Time Lords took the lift down and made their way out of the block of flats, soon spotting Amy and Rory sitting on a low brick wall in the courtyard, waiting for them, both of them looking perfectly fine.

"Come on, you two!" the Doctor called, clapping his hands together as they strolled towards them, plopping down the brick wall beside Amy, while the Hatter took a seat between the couple, "Things to do, people to see, whole civilisations to save," he lightly pattered Amy's knee.

"How are you two feeling?" the Hatter asked, looking back and forth between the couple, though she was mainly eyeing Amy, since she was the one who was turned into a doll. Note to self: destroy every single doll that they had put in the nursery…if she could bring herself to go back in there again, that was.

"Er, I think so," Amy nodded, still looking a little shaken.

"Well, it's good to be all back together, in the flesh," the Doctor commented, wrapping his arm over Amy's back, managing to reach over and toy with a lock of the Hatter's hair.

"And I'm glad we went on this adventure," the brunet added, giving him a smile around Amy's back, making him blink in surprise, looking hopeful, "It was nice, getting back to something normal again, not having to constantly think about…" she hesitated, swallowing hard, "Well, you know".

"It will get easier," he said softly, giving her a gentle smile.

"I know, and I think I might actually start to believe that now".

He grinned, wishing that Amy wasn't between them so that he could kiss his wife soundly, feeling incredibly proud of her. She had just taken a big step back towards her bright, bubbly old self again, he was even hopeful that she might decide to start wearing her hat again, though something told him it would probably take more than just one adventure to make her feel ready to be able to do that again.

"How about we get out of here, then?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows, his eyes bright.

She grinned broadly, nodding, "Brilliant idea, sweetheart".

He held out his hand above Amy's head for her and she happily took it, the two of them hopping up and heading off towards the TARDIS, while Amy and Rory exchanged a quick look, having been awkwardly pretending not to be there during the Time Lords little moment, not that they weren't used to doing that anyway. The humans hurried after them as they made their way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor throwing the doors open and bounding up the stairs to the console like an excited child, leaving the others to follow.

"Now, did someone mention something about planets and history and stuff?" he grinned, pulling a lever and hitting a button.

"Yeah," Rory agreed, looking quite eager to be off on a proper adventure's, one that didn't involve a block of Earth flats, hopefully.

The Hatter twirled around on the spot, raising her eyes at the humans, "Right, then, where shall we go?" she asked, and practically skipped over to the Doctor's side.

"Um…" Amy frowned thoughtfully.

"Mind's gone blank," the Doctor shook his head, lightly nudging the Hatter's side with a smile.

"Well, I _have_ just been turned into a wooden dolly," she defended herself, holding up her hands.

"Excuses, excuses".

"It's tough, though," Rory remarked, leaning around the Time Rotor to see the Time Lords as the Hatter typed something into the typewriter, "It's like being given three wishes," he gave them a pointed look, "The _whole_ Universe?"

"Not just the Universe, there's numerous ones out there," the Hatter's head popped up, taking a quick break from her typing to point back across to them, "Back in the old days we could have gone and had a look around…though, sadly, that's not really a option anymore so I don't even know why I mentioned it…" she trailed off with a frown, glancing at the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled fondly, quickly kissing her, "You're adorable when your mouth runs away from you like that," he told her, making her blush slightly. He shook his head and clapped his hands together, turning back to Amy and Rory, "Anyway, three wishes!" he went on brightly, getting back on track, "Like Ali Baba. How about that?"

The Hatter smiled and, not even waiting for Amy and Rory to say anything, pulled a lever, setting them off.

 _ **I always have so much fun writing the Doctor and the Hatter around kids, so I had great fun writing this chapter. Next chapter, the Hatter tells Amy something that she instantly regrets, the Doctor jinxes them, and where exactly did the Doctor get those glasses from in the first place? I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews (Thank you so much!):**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Yes! I would love it if Andrew Lee Potts became the next Doctor. I've only seen him in that TV miniseries Alice, but I loved him in it as the Hatter and I think he would make a really good Doctor.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Yes, actually, there is one very big secret that the Doctor hasn't told her, but that doesn't mean that the Hatter is in the dark about it and it will come into play later on.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter ended up in our world and she watched Doctor Who, I think she would be fascinated and probably, depending on which regeneration she was in at the time, even a little offended that she hadn't been included in the show. I think she would find the whole idea of the Doctor's life being turned into a TV show to be hilarious and she would probably happily sit there, watching the episodes and shake her head at the stupid things he did without her being there to stop him, though, I don't think she would tell the Doctor about his adventures being turned into a TV show. She would think he's ego big enough as it is :)**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **If the Hatter had been taken back to Gallifrey at the End of Time by the Time Lords as a way to punish the Doctor, I think that Rassilon probably would have thrown in her into prison and she would have held in there until the Twelve Doctor managed to find make his way to Gallifrey and had her released straight away. Can you imagine how furious he would have been then? Rassilon wouldn't have stood a chance after that. Or the Master might have snuck her out of prison and taken her with her when she escaped from Gallifrey.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **If the Time Lords had erased the Hatter's memories of her time with the Doctor at the end of the War Games (Would that even be legal?), I think she would have been miserable. I don't think her Third regeneration would have handled being on Gallifrey and I think that she would have tried to escape, but whether or not she would have succeeded given the fact that she would have been very carefully monitored is probably doubtful. She probably would have settled into living on Gallifrey, working in a lab again and once the Doctor got the ability to travel in the ARDIS again, he would have gone to find her straight away and raised hell until the Time Lords returned her memories.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **She first met the Doctor again just as he was regenerating for the first time into his Second body. She had only just left Gallifrey and regenerated herself at the time, and she stayed with him during the adventure following his regeneration.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **Well, I couldn't really see her fitting into the TV movie of the Eighth Doctor for some reason. I think, when I decided that she wouldn't be a part of that movie, I thought it would make it seem too busy and it wouldn't have made the sense for the Eighth Doctor to be wondering around, completely clueless. But she was still very active during his era, just that she spent much of her time on Gallifrey during that time.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **Do you mean if the Hatter left Gallifrey when he left to activate the Moment? Or at another time? If it's during the Time War, I think that they would have tried to help support one another. I think the Hatter would have been a lot more affected by the Time War and she would have become a lot more withdrawn then we've seen her. She probably wouldn't have been overly fond of going on adventures as much and would probably have just done it to keep the Doctor company and try to distract herself.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **If the Hatter had somehow ended up trapped in the Time Vortex after she first left Gallifrey, she would have been devastated to hear about the events of the Time War and completely shocked. She would never have imagined that something like that could happened and that she and the Doctor were the only ones left, let alone what had happened to her children. She would have been furious with the Doctor at first and I don't think she would have been able to calm herself down enough to be able to listen to his reasons for destroying Gallifrey.**_

 _ **The Doctor would have been stunned that she was still alive and, while he would have still have had feelings for her, I think it would have taken him some time before he realised that he still loved her and for those feelings to come flooding back again.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **No, sadly, I haven't read the Engines of War, but I'll try and see if I can find it online somewhere when I get the chance. I managed to find and read the novel 'Lungbarrow' online a while back, so I would say I can do the same for this novel. It sounds very interesting and I do so love to find new references that I can make from Classic Who stuff. I'm afraid that until I read the book and see exactly how the Hatter might be able to fit into it, I can't say anything more about it, but thank you for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **If the Doctor had knocked the Hatter out and forced her to go with him at the end of the Time War, the Hatter would have found it very hard to forgive the Doctor for completely going against her, even though she would later come to the realisation that it would have been one of the biggest mistakes in her life to not have left with the Doctor. But I also think that she would have found it very hard to stay angry with him after witnessing the grief and guilt that he went through, that they would have both gone through and they would have been forced to stick together in order to get through it all.**_


	23. Chapter 23 The Girl Who Waited, Part 1

_**The Girl Who Waited, Part 1**_

The Doctor and the Hatter worked at the console, dancing around as they pulled levers and pressed buttons, at one point they even crossed paths at the same panel, easily working around each other before moving on again in the opposite direction to each other. Amy and Rory shook their heads as they watched them, holding onto the railings by the stairs, the Time Lady flashing them a little wink as she passed by.

"Show off's," Amy muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oi!" the Doctor called, leaning around the Time Rotor to point at her, "We heard that!" he nodded over towards the Time Lady.

"And we're not showing off," the Hatter added, though the little twirl that she did as she moved on to the next panel really didn't help to argue their case. Not in the slightest bit, "We're driving, thank you very much," she said firmly, before smirking slightly, "With flair".

"Er, isn't that the same thing as showing off?" Rory asked, holding up a finger, glancing back over to Amy with his eyebrows raised.

The Doctor paused and looked around to the Time Lady, who was frowning at the humans, opening and closing his mouth for a moment, "Well, no…it's…" he trailed off, huffing in annoyance when he realised that he didn't actually have anything to try and say against that, "Oh, shut up," he muttered, making Amy and Rory smile, the Hatter shaking her head fondly, "Now, stop distracting us while we're being nice and taking you somewhere fun," he waved his finger at them, trying and failing to look scolding.

Amy's eyes brightened, "Where _are_ you taking us, then?" she questioned, hoping that they would stop being all mysterious and just tell them already.

"Why, Apalapucia, of course," the Hatter told them cheerfully, making her way around to the panel nearest to them, hitting a button as she spoke.

She frowned slightly, "Say that again?"

"Apalapucia!" the Doctor called, moving around to purposely bump into the Hatter, grabbing her hand and spinning her back around again, making her laugh, though it stopped far too quickly. Ever since they had their adventure with George, she had brightened slightly, though there were still very frequent moments when he would find her hastily trying to hide her tears from him or moments when he would catch her clutching on to Astra's blanket. She still hadn't started wearing her hat, either, though she had decided to wear a pair of bright pink tights that day, so he supposed it was a small improvement. She was getting there, slowly, they both were.

"Apalapu…" she tried, struggling.

"Cia," the Time Lords finished in unison, high fiving when they realised what they had done.

"Apalapucia," Rory said, managing to get it on the first go.

"Well done," the Hatter grinned, nodding to him, turning her attention on Amy, "Apalapucia," she made sure to slow her speech down for her.

"Apalapucia," Amy tried, brightening when she managed to get it, breaking into a smile, "What a beautiful word".

"Beautiful word, beautiful world," the Doctor remarked, reluctantly letting the Hatter go and moving back over to the console, pulling a lever, making the entire room jolt before stilling once more. He was back by the Time Lady's side within seconds, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Indeed it is," the Time Lady nodded, turning back to the humans, "In fact, Apalapucia was even voted to be the second best planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveller".

Rory frowned slightly, "Why couldn't we go to number one?"

"It's hideous!" the Doctor exclaimed, pulling a face.

"It's not quite that _bad_ ," the brunet shook her head, patting his arm when he gave her a sharp look, opening his mouth to try and argue, "Now, let me finish, sweetheart," she continued sternly, making him instantly snap his mouth shut, knowing better when she used that tone of voice on him. That was her Mum Voice, you never, ever argued with her when she used that tone, "People always go to the first destination," she explained to Amy and Rory, turning back to them, "It's known as the planet of the coffee shops, literally a whole planet with _only_ coffee shops on it. The air is so full of caffeine that there's stories about people staying up for _weeks_ just from sniffing it".

"Seriously?" Amy blinked.

"See what I mean?" the Doctor huffed, looking pointedly back to the Hatter, "Hideous!"

"It's not overly pretty and exciting, I agree," the Hatter smiled, shaking her head at him, "But it is worth a trip at least once. Plus, the coffee is the best coffee in the entire Universe. Still…if there was a choice between the two, Apalapucia would always win in my books," she assured him, lightly kissing his cheek, "Just like you, sweetheart…though, not in an argument with me. That's the exception".

"Of course it is," he said with an eye roll, but his tone was fond and he pressed a kiss to her temple, before uncurling his arm from around her waist and taking her hand, the two of them setting off for the door. Amy and Rory followed after them, "Apalapucia!" he said brightly, throwing the humans a quick look over his shoulder, "We give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades. I give you…!" he reached the doors and threw them open, only to find that they had landed in a stark white room with a pair of dull grey doors directly facing them, a small panel with a green and red button on it beside the doors.

"Doors," Rory finished, peering out through the doorway.

The Doctor and the Hatter blinked, poking their heads out of the time machine's door to see for themselves, "Doors," he sighed, glancing back to Rory, nodding, "Yes. We give you doors," he stepped out, pointing over to the grey doors with the Hatter and Rory following, the Time Lady looking quite amused, "But on the other side of those doors, we give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades".

The Hatter glanced at Rory, "Unlikely, with our luck," she whispered to him, making Rory laugh. He quickly covered it up when the Doctor suddenly spun around, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Have you seen my phone?" Amy called, appearing in the TARDIS doorway, drawing their attention back to her.

"Your _phone_?" the Doctor repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah".

"Your mobile telephone? We bring you to a paradise planet, two billion light years from Earth, and you want to update Twitter?"

The Hatter sighed slightly, shaking her head with an expression crossed between amusement and exasperation, "We never had this issue with companions from the twentieth century," she remarked, thinking back to some of the Doctor's old companions, like Peri Brown or Jo Grant, neither of them had a clue what Twitter was, let alone used it, though that was probably due to fact that it hadn't been invented by their eras, now that she thought about it.

Amy rolled her eyes slightly at them both, "Sunsets, spires, soaring colonnades," she repeated, giving them a pointed look, "It's a _camera_ phone".

The Doctor still didn't look overly pleased, while the Time Lady sighed again and waved a dismissive hand in Amy's direction, "I saw it last on the console, by the pile of DVD's I've been begging the Doctor to put away for weeks…" she nudged the Doctor's side as she spoke, making him shoot her a sheepish smile. She shook her head at him before frowning, pointing a stern finger at Amy, "But no pictures of me, I hate pictures. Katie used to enjoy snapping pictures of me whenever she thought I wasn't looking".

The red head broke into a smile and a glimmer appeared in her eyes that made the Hatter feel quite nervous, regretting ever mentioning anything about her past companions little habit now, "Thank you," she said brightly, turning and disappearing back inside the TARDIS for her phone.

"You probably shouldn't have mentioned the photo's thing," the Doctor said quietly to the Hatter, who was staring at the empty TARDIS door with a frown.

"Oh, I'm regretting it already, sweetheart," she muttered, resigned. Katie always did have a knack for snapping pictures of her in an unflattering light, such as in the middle of a yawn or blinking.

The Time Lords turned and walked over to join Rory as he stood before the set of grey doors, eyeing them closely with his arms crossed across his chest. He glanced up at them as they approached.

"How do we get in?" he asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor shrugged, casting his eyes over the doors.

The Hatter struggled hard not to roll her eyes, "Oh, honestly," she moved around Rory and reached out to touch the top green button on the control button that had what appeared to be an anchor on it, above the red button that looked like it had a waterfall on it. She looked back to the two men as the door slid open, finding them both blinking at her, "What would you do without me?" she raised her eyebrows, "You can't even open a door".

"We would have worked it out…" the Doctor tried to defend, shifting awkwardly on the spot as Rory grew slightly pink, "Eventually".

She shook her head and moved past them both, not even bothering to justify that with a response as she calmly strolled into the room. It was all very white, almost blindingly so and just as stark as the room that they had landed in was, except that this room had a glass table set up in the middle of the room with two chairs positioned in front of it, while a large magnifier glass sat on the middle of the table, facing the chairs, almost like it was some sort of screen.

The Doctor shifted again, looking a little disappointed and embarrassed, "Okay, so rain check on the soaring silver colonnades…" he sighed, following the Time Lady further into the room.

"Yeah," Rory nodded, catching the Hatter's eye and quickly stifling a laugh as she mouthed, 'told you so!' back to him as she took a seat in one of the chairs, crossing her legs. He moved into the room, eyeing the magnifying glass on the table curiously as the doors slid closed behind them, "It's a magnifying glass," he commented, waving his hand at the device.

"Apparently so," the Time Lady agreed, leaning forward in her chair to eye it more closely, the Doctor moving to peer through the glass from the other side. He met her eyes through the glass and stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh and pull a funny face back at him.

"Hey?" Amy's voice called through the doorway, slightly muffled, "Hey, it's locked".

"Yeah, push the button," Rory called back to her, looking expectantly over to the doors, waiting for them to slide open. The Doctor and the Hatter frowned slightly, exchanging a look when the doors remained closed, silence falling over the room. Rory ducked his head and sighed, "Come on, Amy," he muttered, sounding slightly exasperated now.

The Hatter sat up a bit straighter in her chair, casting the doors a slightly concerned look. Surely it wasn't that hard to find the button to get inside? She had found it easy…well, she supposed that neither the Doctor nor Rory had managed to figure it out, so she supposed there could always be a chance that Amy might have had some difficulty too, "Rory," she glanced over to him, "Perhaps you ought to go and find her".

Rory nodded and straightened from where he had been leaning over the glass table, heading over to the doors. He pressed the green button again and the doors slid open, but as he moved to peer back out into the room that they had landed in, Amy was nowhere to be found, "Where is she?" he wondered aloud, frowning as he turned back to look into the room at the Time Lords, just as the Doctor took a seat in the chair beside the Hatter's, "Where on wherever we are is my wife?"

The Doctor didn't look at him, his focus on the magnifying glass as he reached out to touch a little green button on the handle of the glass. A ripple ran across the glass of the device before a blurry image appeared, an image of what appeared to be Amy as she seemed to be peering back at them through the other side.

The Hatter blinked, staring back at the blurry shape that, without a doubt, had to be Amy, her red hair making it very easy to tell just who it was, "Rory, come over here," she told him, "I think we've found your wife".

"What do you mean you've found her?" Rory questioned, confused as he moved to look over their shoulders, just as the blurriness cleared and they could make Amy out clearly, almost as if she was just standing on the other side of the glass from them, "Whoa!" he exclaimed, jumping back slightly as he caught sight of the image, "No, but, she's not…" he ran around to the other side of the device, to the spot where Amy looked like she was in the glass, "She's not here!" he shook his head, looked back over to them, alarmed.

"This is…new," the Hatter said thoughtfully, eyeing the screen carefully, even going so far as to peer around the edge of the magnifying glass to make sure that Amy really wasn't just standing on the other side of the room, but she wasn't. It was almost like a magic trick.

Rory hurried back around to stand behind them, staring back at Amy, "I can see her, but she's not here".

"Where am I?" Amy asked, frowning back at them, looking just as confused as to what was going on as they did. She moved closer to the glass, her whole face taking up the rounded screen, "In fact, where are you?"

The door suddenly slid open, making the three of them jump slightly and turn to see a white robot with no face step into the doorway, holding up a plastic hand with some sort of flesh-like mesh covering it.

"Whoa!" Rory quickly held up his hands in surrender, eyeing the robot warily as the Doctor followed suit. The Hatter looked at it carefully, but made no move to try and stand, though she did move a little closer to the edge of her seat.

"Hands!" the Doctor said brightly, not lowering his hands, "Hello, hands! Robot with hands, Rory," he looked down at his own hands, wiggling his fingers slightly.

"Welcome to the Two Streams Facility," the robot greeted them in a male voice, "Will you be visiting long?"

"Er, Hatter…" Amy called suddenly, sounding worried, "Something's happening".

The Hatter quickly turned her attention back to the glass, only to find that static had filled the imagine as Amy slowly backed away from the glass, panic crossing her face, "Amy!" she said urgently, jumping out of the chair, moving closer to the screen.

The Doctor was beside her almost instantly, his eyes widening as the image started speeding up like someone had hit fast-forward on a movie. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the buttons on the handle of the glass, "Stay calm!" he told her hurriedly, trying to fix it, "Stay still! Ah, time's gone wobbly…" he glanced up to the Hatter, running the sonic over the glass as it continued to speed forward, showing little snippets of Amy, "I hate it when it does that".

"You and me both," the Time Lady agreed, worriedly watching the glass.

The robot thrust its hand out towards Rory, making him jerk back, eyeing the hand nervously, "Will you be staying long?" it asked them.

"Good question," Rory swallowed, leaning further back from the hand, "Bit sinister. What's the answer to not get us killed?" he backed further away from it as it advanced closer to him.

"Oh, Amy!" the Hatter cried in relief as the image finally came back, Amy sitting in a corner of the room with her knees curled into her chest, her head snapping up at the sound of her voice, "You're okay," she reassured her, breaking into a comforting smile, "The Doctor managed to fix it".

"Will you be visiting long?" the robot repeated, still advancing on Rory.

"Doctor, Hatter?" Rory called, growing a little panicked as he backed further away from the robot, "A little help!"

"And where have you _been_?" Amy demanded, narrowing her eyes at the Time Lords, not moving from her corner.

"Will you…" the robot continued.

"What do I _tell_ it?" he looked frantically back over to the Time Lords, his eyes wide.

The Hatter turned to try and help him, when Amy leaped up from her corner and stormed over to the glass, glaring angrily back at them, "I've been here a week!" she shouted at them.

"A week?" the Doctor gaped as the Time Lady's head snapped back around to stare at her, startled. He looked back to the brunet, "A week?" he turned back to the glass and moved closer to it, quite horrified.

"Oh, Amy, we're so sorry," the Hatter breathed, appalled by the idea that poor Amy had been left all by herself, stuck inside that strange room, alone without them, "But if you've been in there for a week…oh, of course," she nodded, realisation hitting her as she looked back to the Doctor, "That explains it. We're dealing with the same room, only at different times".

He clicked his fingers, pointing at her as he caught on, "Two different time streams running parallel but at different speeds," he nodded, turning back to look at Amy through the glass, "Amy, you're in a faster time stream".

"Doctor, it's going again!" Amy groaned as static filled the screen once more.

"Hatter!" Rory shouted, flitching away as the robot shoved its hand closer to him, trapping him against the wall.

"Amy!" the Doctor yelled, trying to get the image back.

"Help me!" she screamed, just as they lost the image once more.

The Doctor frantically started working on the controls, trying to get the image back, while the Hatter kept shooting Rory concerned looks, but the robot hadn't advanced any further on him, so he appeared to be relatively safe for the moment. She made sure to be within range of going to his aid should the robot try anything again, not that she was sure what she would even be able to do. She could try shoving the thing, she supposed, it didn't look overly heavy, but looks could be very deceiving with robots.

"Come…" he muttered as he fiddled around, trying a different setting on the sonic, just as the static on the glass fluttered slightly before clearing completely, showing Amy sitting in one of the chairs before the table, her feet propped up on the table, "Gotcha!" he cheered, frowning slightly, "There. Stabilised, settled, shush!" he quickly hushed Amy as she looked ready to start shouting at them again.

"You're braver then I, sweetheart," the Hatter commented quietly, eyeing the rather dirty look that Amy shot him at being hushed. Rose Tyler would have been proud of that look.

"Why has this got hands?" Rory asked, eyeing the robot's hand carefully, still with his back pressed against the wall.

The Hatter moved closer to the robot, taking a closer look at the hand for herself now that it seemed that Amy was okay, "Looks like it's got a covering of organic skin," she determined, making sure not to get to close to the hand, just in case, "It's actually quite clever little piece of technology, ultimate universal interface that's been grown and then grafted, rather than born," she looked back up to Rory, "It's using it's fingertips to see, scanning the room".

"But why not just give it eyes?" the Doctor frowned, casting the back of the robot a thoughtful look, before glancing questioningly back to the Time Lady, who could only shrug, just as puzzled as him.

"Will you be visiting long?" the robot asked again, turning its head towards the Hatter.

"For as long as it takes to get our friend back," the Hatter told it firmly, hoping that would shut it up for a little while. Some robots really could be quite annoying; this one seemed like one of them.

The Doctor turned back to glass as the brunet joined him, "Amy, what exactly did you _do_?" he questioned her, moving closer to peer at her.

"I just…" Amy shrugged, frowning back at them slightly, "I came in and I pressed the door button".

"Oh…" Rory sighed heavily, realisation hitting him as the robot finally allowed him to move away from the wall. He closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head, "Amy, there are _two_ buttons. The green anchor and the red waterfall. Which one did you push?"

Amy leaned back from the glass, looking as if she had just been scolded, not quite meeting their eyes, "I pushed the red waterfall," she replied quietly.

The Hatter tried to give her a comforting smile, "It'll be fine, Amy," she tried to reassure her as Rory groaned and turned on his heel, already heading for the door, "Everything will be just fine, I'm sure…"

Rory opened the door and it slide open, "Great," he said sarcastically, disappearing out of the room, letting the door close behind him. The Doctor and the Hatter both exchanged a quick look, trying hard not to show Amy just how worried they actually were about what was happening, when the door slid open and Rory walked back inside the room, looking quite frustrated, "I pressed Red Waterfall, and she wasn't there!" he exclaimed, making them look back up to him.

"Okay, then," the Time Lady toyed with the edge of her skirt, nodding slowly as she meet the Doctor's eyes, "So we can't follow after Amy directly, it would seem".

"You know, it's never simple!" the Doctor huffed loudly, waving his hand around in annoyance as the Hatter nodded along with him, feeling quite the same way as him. Why did these things always seem to happen to them? They should have gone to the Plant of the Coffee Shops, though if they had gone there, they probably would have ended up running into a creature made of coffee or something just as similar. He turned and marched over to the robot, "You hear that, Handbot?" he asked it, and pointed back over to the glass, "She pressed the wrong button, that's all. We're aliens, we didn't know".

"Statement…rejected," the robot told them, a little red light lighting up on its white chest, making the Doctor frown at it, "Apalapucia is under planet-wide quarantine," the Time Lords blinked, exchanging a quick, concerned look, "This is a kindness facility for those infected with Chen Seven".

The Doctor and the Hatter's eyes widened in horror, instantly covering their mouths and noses with their jackets as they moved closer to each other, staring back at the robot, "What?" he demanded, throwing a quick, terrified look across to the Hatter, feelings panic start to set in, though not for himself, but for her.

"You have to be joking," the Hatter breathed, her voice muffled through the leather of her jacket, swallowing hard. She glanced worriedly back to the Doctor and edged even closer to him.

Rory quickly covered his own mouth and nose with his jacket, moving closer to the Time Lords, "Chen Seven, hmm?" he said questioningly, slightly confused about just what was going on.

The Time Lady glanced back to him, her face very pale, or at least what he could see of it from around her jacket, "Otherwise known as the One Day Plague," she informed him grimly, a hint of fear in her voice, though not for her. Her eyes flew back to the Doctor, her hearts clenching fearfully.

"What, you get it for a day?" he asked, sightly hopefully.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, swallowing thickly as he looked back over to him, "You get it for a day, and then you _die_ in a day".

Amy's eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her face.

"There are forty thousand residents in the Two Streams Facility," the Handbot explained to them, "Please remain in the sterile areas. Visiting hours are now," it pressed its hands together and teleported away in a beam of white light.

The Hatter sighed in relief and uncovered her face, closing her eyes briefly. The news almost made her knees feel weak in sheer relief, "Oh, that is excellent news," she said slightly breathlessly, reaching out to grab the Doctor's hand as both he and Rory, slightly slowly, uncovered their own faces, "We're in the sterile area," she nodded to herself.

The Doctor wrapped his arms around in her a sudden hug, pressing his face into her neck, "We're safe," he said into her hair, holding her tighter, feeling his hearts rate finally start to slow now that the panic and fear had subsided. If she had been infected…well, he really didn't know what he would have done, what lengths he might have gone to. With the Hatter and her safety, not even he knew just what he might do to protect her, was there even a limit for what he wouldn't do? He really didn't think there was. He pulled back slightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "We're safe, dear," he murmured, forcing himself to pull back slightly.

"Yes, we _are_ ," she agreed, her face still rather pale, but her voice was strong and steady, instantly calming him.

"Hey!" Amy suddenly shouted, making them both blink and look back to the magnifying glass to see her narrowing her eyes at them, clearly not impressed by their little moment, "What about me?"

"Oh, it won't have any effect on humans," the Time Lady said calmly, not moving away from the Doctor as she spoke to her, "Chen Seven is a virus that only affects two-hearted races, just like the Apalapucians…" she trailed off with a small frown, glancing back to the Doctor, seeming to have only just realised that another race of beings had possibly been infected already. The panic over the Doctor possibly getting exposed had temporally distracted her, "Poor things," she said sadly, feeling quite guilty for not making the connection sooner.

"And Time Lords," Rory cut in, giving the Doctor and the Hatter a slightly worried look. It certainly explained why they reacted as they had; he could only imagine what they might have been like had the Hatter still been pregnant, or if baby Astra had been with them. They would have been beside themselves.

The Doctor sighed grimly, glancing at him, "Yeah, like us," he cast the Hatter a quick look, swallowing hard, "Walk into that facility, we're dead in a day".

"Well…" the Hatter began, trying hard to sound bright and cheerful, even though she really wasn't feeling that way, "We had best make sure we don't wonder off into the main building," she turned to focus back on the glass, growing thoughtful, but she was mainly trying to distract herself from the horrible thought of just how close they had come to doing just that. If they had pressed the other button…, "Now, on Amy's side of the glass, time is moving faster for her," she said slowly, eyeing Amy curiously, "You told us you had been there for a week, so you would have had to eat and drink, yes?"

"No," Amy shook her head, "I wasn't hungry".

"I expected as much," she nodded, not the slightest bit surprised.

The Doctor pointed a finger at the brunet, following along with her train of thought, "Yes, because that Red Waterfall time is compressed," he agreed, finally letter her go and starting to pace up and down before the glass, his mind racing, "That's the point. The Time Glass syncs up the two time streams for visits".

"People could come and watch for a day, while the person on the other side lives out their entire life," the brunet remarked, sitting down in one of the chairs before the glass, looking back at Amy.

"And watch them grow old in front of your eyes?" Rory said slowly, frowning deeply as he caught on to what they were saying. He stared back at Amy, "That's horrible".

The Doctor stopped pacing and moved back over to them, "No, Rory, it's kind," he told him with a small frown of his own, "You've got a choice. Sit by their bedside for twenty four hours and watch them _die_ , or sit in here for twenty four hours and watch them _live_ ," he looked back up to the glass, "What would you choose?"

"I already know what I would do," the Hatter said softly, so quietly that it was even a struggle for the Doctor's sharp hearing to catch. She ducked her head and struggled hard against the stinging in her eyes and the lump that had formed in her throat, Astra's face swimming in her mind. That was what love was, or at least it was to her, being willing to sacrifice ones own happiness for the sake of the person you love, even if the price that had to be payed was that you couldn't be a part of their life. It was exactly what she and the Doctor had done in order to protect Astra, giving up being there to raise her and watch her grow up in order to insure that she wasn't snatched away from them, like Melody had been. Without that constant threat hanging over Astra's head, she would grow up and have a chance to be a child, have a chance to truly flourish, something that the Hatter and the Doctor just simply couldn't do at this point.

The Doctor blinkered rapidly, trying hard to force away the tears that had appeared in his own eyes, knowing perfectly well just where her thoughts had instantly gone. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, making her head snap up to him. She forced herself to give him a weak smile, but he could tell easily that it was fake. He took a deep breath and quickly leant down to place a kiss on top of her head, before forcing himself to move away from her and over to the table, needing something to focus on and distract them both from the painful memories that had been brought up. Without warning he grabbed the glass and picked it up, heading around to the other side of the room.

"Doctor?" Amy's voice called out, sounding alarmed and frightened, "Hatter? No, don't leave me!"

"It's okay, Amy!" the Hatter said hurriedly, pleased to find that her voice sounded quite steady and not as if she was about to break down in sobs, "Don't panic," she continued soothingly. She rose from her chair and moved around to join the Doctor on the other side of the room as Rory followed, watching as the Doctor held the glass up to show Amy sitting with her back facing them, hunched over her own table with her hands covering her face. She winced at the sight of her looking so alone, "We're still here, Amy, right here," she called to her gently.

"Where are you?" she lifted her head and looked around, "Am I looking at you?"

"Turn left just a fraction," the Doctor instructed her, and Amy slowly swivelled on the chair, "Bit more…" she turned until she was facing them, though she was looking off to the left of them still, "Stop," he smiled slightly, "That's it".

"Eye to eye?"

"Eye to eye to eye".

"In other words, yes," the Hatter rolled her eyes fondly, lightly nudging the Doctor's side.

"Hello," Rory gave her a little wave, even though Amy couldn't see them.

"Amy, we're taking the Time Glass back to the TARDIS," the Doctor informed her, "Like a satnav, we'll use it to get a lock, then smash through using the TARDIS to get you out," he sighed, glancing at the Hatter, exchanging a grim look before he turned back to the glass, "Until then, you're on your own," he handed his sonic to the Hatter, who flashed the device at the glass while he held it up for her.

"Er, what are you doing?" Rory asked, frowning at the Time Lady.

"Just locking it onto Amy," the Hatter replied, lowering the sonic and slipping it into her pocket, for the time being, "We don't want to lose track of her and this is the best way to make sure we can always find her".

"Small act of vandalism," the Doctor commented, shrugging, unconcerned, "No one'll mind…"

The Time Lady groaned, closing her eyes, "Oh, you just had to say _that_ ".

And, as if on cue, an alarm started going off.

"Sorry, dear," he said sheepishly, flashing her a little smile that made her shake her head in exasperation, though there was a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. He looked up at the ceiling as the alarm continued blaring, "Yes, that'll be the small act of vandalism alarm".

The Hatter sighed loudly and turned back to the glass, looking at Amy, "Now, we're going to need you to go into the main facility, Amy," she said over the noise, "Leave us a nice little sign that we can find and then get yourself a nice little spot to hide in the meantime, okay?" Amy looked slightly startled by the idea, but still nodded. She smiled faintly, "Good girl".

"Remember," the Doctor spoke up, his voice growing stern, "You're immune to Chen Seven, but don't let them give you anything. They don't know you're alien. Their kindness will _kill_ you. Now go!"

Amy stood as they watched on and walked across to a set of grey sliding doors at the back of the room, pressing a button on a small panel beside it that said 'Check In' beneath it. The doors slid open and she stepped inside the white space, turning back around to face them, her eyes blindingly searching the room.

"Rory, I love you," she called back to them, looking a little nervous. They smiled softly, Rory's face softening as he stared back at his wife, "Now, save me. Go on".

The doors slid closed on her and the three of them looked at each other, the Doctor lowering the glass.

"We'll get her back, Rory," the Hatter said comfortingly to the man, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Come on," she gently started to guide him out of the room as the Doctor followed close behind them, heading back out of the room and into the TARDIS.

As they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor flung the time machines doors open and dashed inside, moving straight up to the console while the Hatter dropped her arm from Rory's shoulders, quickly joining him up at the controls, leaving Rory behind to close the doors and follow.

"This is locked onto Amy permanently," the Doctor explained to Rory, holding the glass up for him to see as he joined them at the controls, "Play the signal into the console, the TARDIS'll follow it," he carefully inserted the handle of the glass into a slot in the console, before attaching a cable onto the edge of the glass, making it spark slightly. He flashed the Time Lady a grin as she sighed loudly, planting a kiss to her cheek as he hurried passed her and off around the console.

"He does that on purpose, just to annoy me," the Hatter remarked to Rory, shaking her head as she used her hand to try and wave away some of the smoke that had come from the spark. Still, at least there hadn't been any flames, that was one positive. It was actually sad she considered that to be a positive. She tried hard not to dwell on that as she began setting coordinates into the controls.

The Doctor pulled a metal box from beneath the controls and started digging through the contents, most of which seemed like complete junk and useless things. There was even a bright red alarm clock and a mess of coloured wires that were tangled together, but he tossed all of that aside and kept searching, "Now then, I know you're in here…" he muttered, "Er…er…ha, ha!" he suddenly cheered and jumped back onto his feet, spinning around to reveal himself wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses, grinning back at them, "How do I look?"

"Ridiculous," Rory said at once, not looking impressed.

The Hatter blinked slightly before narrowing her eyes, taking a step closer to him, "Hang on, are those my Second selves old specs?" she questioned suspiciously.

The Doctor's smile become a little more fixed and he shifted nervously, "Maybe…"

"How did you get a pair of my old glasses? I was blind without those things".

"I…borrowed them".

"Oh, like you did with the TARDIS?"

"Well….yes, I suppose so," he cleared his throat, avoiding meeting her eyes, "You didn't need them anymore and you had left them on your bedside table".

The Hatter's eyebrows rose, crossing her arms across her chest, "So you went into my old bed room, I'm guessing this was centuries ago and well before our marriage, and stole a pair of my old glasses from my room?"

The Doctor sighed slightly, "There's no good way of looking at this, is there?"

"Not really, no".

Rory pattered the Doctor's arm, looking sympathetic, "You're in trouble now".

The Hatter continued to eye the Doctor carefully, who looked quite nervous and worried, before she sighed and shook her head, "I think I'm going to ignore the creepiness of you going into my bedroom without me, simply due to the fact that this all took place _centuries_ ago," she eventually said, and the Doctor broke into a wide grin, quite relieved, but his smile only grew wider at her next words, "And, besides, I think they suit you, sweetheart," she gave him a small smile.

"Glasses are cool," he said brightly, pointing up to the glasses, "See?" he pulled them off and slipped them onto Rory's face, "Oh, yes," he nodded happily.

"Very nice," the Hatter commented, patting the Doctor's arm, "Yes, quite handsome".

Rory blinked slightly, looking quite taken aback, "Oh," he said slowly, smiling embarrassedly, "Hello".

The Time Lady laughed very slightly, making the Doctor grin widely at her in delight. That was one of the few proper laughs that he had heard from her in weeks, a laugh that actually reached her eyes, "Oh, yes, you are quite handsome too, Rory-cam," she reached out to pat his arm, almost apologetic.

"Huh?" Rory said blankly, and turned to look behind him to see the large monitor on the wall showing the same thing that he was seeing with his eyes, or rather what his glasses were seeing. He turned back to them, "Oh, you can see what I see," he realised.

"We're breaking into Two Streams," the Doctor began explaining quickly, "Now, neither the Hatter nor I can go in there. The Chen Seven'll kill us both…"

"And regeneration's not an option, either," the Hatter added grimly, "But you, Rory, will be our eyes and ears," she flashed him a smile.

Rory nodded, "Rory-cam," he repeated, "Rescue Amy. Got it".

"That's the spirit!" the Doctor said encouragingly, his expression growing serious, "Now, smashing through a time wall could get a bit hairy".

"Possibly more than a bit," the Time Lady sighed, casting a quick glance towards the console.

"Is it safe?" Rory asked, frowning slightly.

"Don't know," the Doctor admitted, glancing at the Hatter, raising his eyebrows, "Never tried. Dear?"

The Hatter shook her head, "No idea, it'll be a first for me, too," she said before shrugging carelessly, flashing them both a smile, "But what's life without risk, especially ours? Terribly boring, that's what I say," she turned and practically skipped over to the console, grabbing a lever and looking back to them, "Better hold on to something, boys".

The Doctor looked like an excited child and hurried to move to stand beside her, while poor Rory looked a little worried, grabbing a nearby railing, just before she pulled the lever and they set off. The jolting and shaking started straight away, the Doctor laughing as if he was having the time of his life while the Hatter struggled hard not to join in with her own giggles, Rory just desperately trying to hold on to the railing. Finally, the TARDIS managed to break through into the Two Streams and the Hatter pulled the lever again, landing the TARDIS with a sharp jolt that very nearly sent them all crashing onto the floor, but they somehow remained upright.

"Right, then," the Time Lady said as she brushed her hair off her face, making a slight face as some of the strands very nearly ended up in her mouth. She pulled her skirt straight and turned to Rory, who was still looking a little ruffled after all the jolting. She met his eyes, "It's up to you from here, Rory".

Rory straightened and pushed the glasses further up his nose, nodding, "Right, rescuing Amy," he tried to give them a smile, "How hard can that be?"

"Exactly," the Doctor agreed a little too quickly, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter. Nothing was ever that simple for them, not ever, and something told him it was going to be the same this time, too, "Now, go on," he gave him an encouraging smile and motioned him off towards the doors.

"Good luck," the Hatter gave him a small smile, but her voice was stern, motherly even, "And be careful".

Rory nodded and gave them a little thumbs-up, trying hard to act like he wasn't as nervous as he actually was to be sent out into a completely alien world without the Doctor and the Hatter there, but he would do whatever he had to for Amy. He turned and headed down the stairs and across to the doors, stepping outside, carefully closing the door behind him.

The Doctor and the Hatter watched the monitor screen closely to see that they had landed in what appeared to be a very white and quite large gallery area, with several famous Earth paintings decorating the walls and a few statues and other art pieces scattered around the room. Some of the pieces looked like they might have come from Earth, while others were, without a doubt, alien, though the Hatter had never been very knowledgeable about art. She never could figure out what modern art was supposed to be, she doubted she could tell the difference between modern human art and classic alien art. The Doctor was always so much better at art then she ever would be.

"Red Waterfall!" Rory called happily, an image of the Red Waterfall icon on one of the walls appearing on the screen for them to see, "We made it".

"Good old us," the Doctor cheered, wrapping his arm around the Hatter's waist and using his free hand to pat the TARDIS console, causing a soft hum to sound through the room.

The Hatter smiled fondly, "Yes, well done, old girl," she reached over and lightly pattered the console, too, "Couldn't have done it without you".

"How do we know we're in the _same_ Red Waterfall as Amy?" Rory asked suddenly, drawing their attention back to the screen as he had turned back to face the rest of the room.

"Focus on the positive," the Doctor told him, though even he looked a little thrown for a moment about the question. It was a possibility, though a narrow one.

"Don't worry about that," the Hatter said hurriedly, trying hard to sound confident, "We've locked on to Amy's time stream…" she trailed off, narrowing her eyes slightly as Rory seemed to become quite focused on the exposed breasts of the Venus de Milo statue. She resisted against the urge to burst out laughing, "Rory, focus, please!" she called sharply, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor laughed, but he quickly stifled his amusement at the look the brunet sent him, clearing his throat awkwardly. Well, it was always funny to see her telling someone other than himself off and to focus for once.

"Right, yes," Rory almost seemed to jump, coming back to reality as he looked away from the statue. He sounded a little embarrassed, "Sorry".

"Honestly, men," the Time Lady muttered, though it was loud enough for them all to hear.

"Apalapucians are the great cultural scavengers, Rory," the Doctor explained, still looking quite amused, "This gallery's a scrapbook of their favourite places".

Rory continued making his way through the gallery, looking around at the pieces of art work, focusing in on the painting of the Mona Lisa as he passed it by, "Bit of Earth…" he remarked, pointing to the painting before moving on, "Bit of alien," he looked across to a large stone sculptor, "Bit off…whatever the hell that is…" he shook his head as he paused to stare at one very strange art piece of a dark purple sculptor that had liquid running down the sides of it.

The Hatter smiled, glancing at the Doctor, "Sounds like the time we went to that abstract art gallery," she commented, thinking back. They had spent ages trying to figure out some of those pieces of art and in the end…they had just walked out, laughing their heads off and resolved to never go back to one of those galleries again. Classics were far more their style, anyway.

Rory made his way out of the room and into a hallway, pausing in the middle of the stark white space, "Where…is everyone?" he questioned, looking around.

The Doctor pulled his coat off and tossed it over the railing behind them, quickly moving back to the controls, "Right, Rory, switch the Time Glass on and sonic it," he instructed him, looking back up to the monitor screen.

"We'll send a command signal to the screwdriver from here," the Hatter informed him, typing something into the typewriter, sighing slightly, "Amy's got to be around, but the trick is getting a lock on her first…"

"I wonder what happens if we mix the filters?" he said thoughtfully, looking back across to the Time Lady, who paused in her typing. He raised his eyebrows at her, "What do you think, dear?"

She shrugged, even though she had an idea of just what would happen, "Let's see, shall we?"

He flashed her a wide smile, his eyes lighting up in delight and he quickly hit a button and twisted a dial, the sound of the sonic screwdriver buzzing echoing through the speakers of the room. They both turned to watch the screen as Rory held the Time Glass up for them to see as hundreds, thousands even, dull and unfocused shadows appeared to be moving around the room that he was standing in.

"Look at that," the Time Lady breathed, staring up at the screen, "Forty thousand time streams, each one overlapping. Astonishing," she shook her head, looking back to the Doctor to see him watching the screen with the same amazed expression on his face that she imagined was probably on hers. That many times streams all in the same location and overlapping like that, it was impressive. Impressive and very idiotically dangerous.

"Red Waterfall isn't one time stream, its _thousands_ ," the Doctor said quietly, reaching out to take her hand.

"Are they happy?" Rory asked, watching the shadowed figures moving around. The Hatter smiled softly at the question, finding it quite sweet that he would even be thinking like that in a moment like this.

"Oh, Rory," the Doctor smiled faintly, exchanging a fond look with the brunet, "Trust you to think of that".

"I think they are," the Hatter said with a trace of hope in her voice, watching the figures moving around on the screen. She paused, sighing slightly, "Well, I hope very much they are. I suppose they must also feel very grateful to have been given the chance to live their lives".

"Better than the alternative," the Doctor added grimly, and she nodded sadly.

Rory lowered the Time Glass, only to find a person dressed in white pieced together amour from what appeared to be a Handbot and wilding a katana charging towards him, "I come in peace!" he cried, tripping over his own feet and falling backwards onto the floor, staring up at the figure as the Doctor and the Hatter jumped, alarmed, "Peace, peace, peace, peace!" he repeated frantically, holding his hands out before him in surrender as the sword was aimed at his throat.

"Rory!" the Hatter called worriedly, gripping the Doctor's hand harder, feeling her hearts starting to speed up. They couldn't even go out there and try and help him, they could do nothing more but stand in the TARDIS and watch. But then something about the figure caught her eye, the long red hair that was flowing freely from beneath the helmet the attacker was wearing, the visor hiding their face from view. That hair…she gasped, her eyes widening in horror, "Oh, please, no…" she trailed off.

The Doctor blinked and looked at her worriedly, completely confused as to what she had caught on to, but she simply shook her head and pressed her free hand against her lips, horrified. He frowned slightly and turned his attention back to the screen, but still, he couldn't figure out what had made her react the way she had. Whatever it was, it was bad, very, very bad.

"I waited," a computerised voice spoke from the attacker.

His eyes widened, his head snapping back to around to the Hatter, "No…" he swallowed, finally catching on. The red hair should have clued him in instantly, but he had been thrown off by the way that the attacker had gone after Rory like that. He wouldn't have imagined it possible, but clearly, they had made a mistake.

"Yes," the Hatter nodded, slowly lowering her hand from her mouth, still looking quite appalled. She still hadn't taken her eyes off the screen, "I fear so, sweetheart".

"Sorry, what?" Rory asked, carefully looking back up at the visor of the attacker's helmet, though he couldn't help glancing nervously back at the very sharp blade that was pointed at his throat.

"I _waited_ for you," the attacker said again, pulling the sword away from him and allowing Rory to slowly sit up. They reached up to their helmet, "I waited!" and lifted the visor to reveal Amy, only a much older version of her, fine lines running around her eyes and slightly deeper ones around her mouth. But her green eyes were the same, only filled with more anger and hurt.

"Amy…" Rory breathed, stunned, "Doctor, Hatter, what's going on?"

"Er…" the Doctor could only stare at the screen, unable to find the words.

The Hatter swallowed thickly, shaking her head, "What have we done?" she murmured, completely horrified. This wasn't just a mistake; this was a massive, gigantic mistake that was verging on being one of their very biggest mistakes of the century. How could they have possibly gotten it so completely mucked up like this? _How_?

Rory slowly pulled himself up onto his feet, staring at Amy, "Amy…" he breathed.

"I think the time stream lock might be a bit wobbly," the Doctor said slowly, wincing.

Amy suddenly raised her sward, looking ready to strike, a very deadly glint in her eyes.

"No, please!" Rory pleaded frantically, holding his hands up again, taking a step back, "Please!"

"Duck," she ordered him, not waiting for him to duck before thrusting her sward forward. He only just managed to duck out of the way, her sword going straight through the head of a Handbot that had snuck up behind Rory while they had been distracted. The robot fell backwards onto the floor as Rory slowly rose, staring back down at it, before looking back in shock to Amy as she put her sword safely away in a scabbard on her hip.

The Doctor and the Hatter both blinked, quite shocked themselves as they slowly exchanged a look. Since when had Amy been so capable of dealing with a robot like that? Since when did she even use a sword, for that matter? They were certainly missing a lot of things.

"Handbots carry a black box in case they go offline," Amy informed them calmly, not at all seeming to be the slightest bit bothered by anything that had just happened. She brushed past Rory and moved to kneel beside the robot, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans as she continued, "I've changed the cause of termination from hostile to accidental. Easy to reprogram," she leaned over the robot's chest, her back blocking their view, "Used my sonic probe," she straightened slightly, allowing them to see her fiddling with a small black box.

"That's…impressive," the Hatter said quietly, nodding slowly. It was all very shocking to see Amy acting as if she did this every day…which, well, she could very well do it every day, for all they knew.

"Amy," Rory began, sounding quite stunned.

Amy looked over her shoulder to him, her expression not softening in the slightest, "Rory," she clicked something on the black box and put it back into the Handbot's chest cavity.

"Why?"

"Because I've only survived this long by making the Handbot's think I don't exist," she replied indifferently, still looking over the robot, "Don't touch the hands," she pointed to the flesh-like covering of the Handbot's hands, "There's anaesthetic transfer on the skin. If they touch you, you go to sleep".

"But you're still here?"

She stood and looked back at him, "You didn't save me," she said bluntly, before turning and walking off. The Doctor and the Hatter closed their eyes tightly, moving closer to each other.

Rory hurried after her, "But, _this_ is the saving!" he told her, moving to stand directly in her path, making her stop. She refused to meet his eyes, seeming to be doing everything she could not to look right at his face, "This is the us _saving_ you! The Doctor and the Hatter just got the timing a bit out!" he shouted, looking away from her.

The Doctor winced, mouthing a silent, 'Sorry' at the screen.

"Oh, Rory," the Hatter sighed, closing her eyes tightly and ducking her head, feeling terribly guilty. It was their fault; this whole thing was all down to them, right from the first moment that they had landed here and allowed her to get her phone without waiting for her. If they had only waited, none of this would have happened, "We are so, so sorry. You have no idea".

"I've been on my own here for a long, long time," Amy told Rory, still refusing to look at him, her voice flat, indifferent, "I've had decades to think nice thoughts about them. Got a bit harder to stay charitable once I entered decade four".

"Forty years?" Rory gasped, sounding horrified, " _Alone_?"

"Thirty six years," she corrected before fiddling with her hair, still not meeting his eyes, "Thanks," she finished sarcastically.

"No, right. I mean…you look great. Really, really…" he trailed off, looking her up and down, much to the Time Lords embarrassment.

The Hatter groaned slightly, covering her eyes, "Rory, please!" she called in a scolding tone, really, really not wishing to see Amy through…well, the eyes of her husband. That was just too far for her comfort, even if it was rather sweet.

Amy's eyes flickered up to his face and away just as quickly, "Eyes front, solider".

He jumped slightly, almost having completely forgotten all about the Doctor and the Hatter being able to see everything that he did. He tried to laugh slightly, "Still can't win, then," he joked weakly.

"In fact…" she went on, moving around him and walking a few steps away from him, before pausing, turning back around to face him. Finally, she met his eyes, "I think I can now definitely say I hate them. I hate the Doctor and the Hatter…" the Hatter cringed, feeling her hearts breaking with every word, "I hate them more than I've ever hated anyone in my life, and…" she stepped closer to Rory, glaring back at them through the camera glasses, "You two can hear every word of this through those ridiculous glasses, can't you, Raggedy Man and Shabby Hatter?"

"Ah, yes," the Doctor cleared his throat, glancing worriedly back to the Hatter. She was staring back at the screen, looking quite stunned and hurt. He couldn't blame her; it was very confronting to have Amy glaring back at them, telling them how much she hated them. He forced himself to lean over to the console and press a button, seeing that the Hatter looked like she had been frozen in place, "Putting the speaker phone on," he announced.

"You told me to wait, and I did. A _lifetime_ ".

"Amy, please…" the Hatter tried weakly.

"You've got _nothing_ to say to me".

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted, his eyes widening, "Behind you!"

Amy didn't need to be told twice as she whirled around to find two Handbot's advancing on them from behind her. She tossed a wooden staff to Rory, who caught it and watched on in shock as she ducked down beneath the robots arms and, with lightening speed, pressed their hands together, shorting them out instantly as a high pitched noise sounded throughout the room for a moment.

"Feedback," she remarked, still slightly crouched as she eyed the Handbot's carefully, "Knocks them out," she looked back up to Rory and directly at the glasses, "Learned that trick on my first day," she straightened and walked off out of the room, leaving Rory to hurry after her, stepping out into a covered outdoor corridor that had gravel covering the ground.

"Very nicely done," the Hatter commented, but she only earned a dark look in response. She sighed heavily and glanced at the Doctor, feeling her hearts sinking as the Doctor pulled her closer to him, comfortingly kissing the top of her head. She hated seeing the hatred in her eyes at the mere mention of them, Amy had been there to help bring Astra into the Universe, she was a dear and treasured friend, the idea that she could hate them like this was almost too much to bear.

Rory cleared his throat slightly, "Okay," he said, trying to change the subject, "So we just take the TARDIS back to the right time stream, yeah?" he reached up to adjust the glasses on his nose, "We can stop any of this happening".

The Doctor shook his head grimly, "We locked on to a time stream, Rory," he sighed heavily, "This is it".

"This is _so_ wrong".

"I got old, Rory," Amy snapped back over her shoulder to him, not slowing her pace in the slightest, "What did you think was going to happen?"

"Hey!" he grabbed her arm, forcing her to whip back to look at him with a glare, "I don't care that you got old. I care that we didn't grow old _together_. Amy, come on, _please_ ".

She pulled her arm out of his grip and took a step back from him, looking down at the ground, "Don't touch me," she told him sharply, turning around and starting to walk away, "Don't do that".

He stared after her, "It's like you're not even her".

"Thirty six years, three months, four days of solitary confinement," she stated emotionlessly, stopping before a set of double doors with some sort of red smudges running across them, turning back around to face them, "This facility was built to give people the chance to live. I walked in here and I died," she took a step closer to Rory, narrowing her eyes at the glasses, "Do you have anything to say? Anything, Doctor, Hatter?" she almost spat out.

The Hatter couldn't say anything, her throat was too tight to get the words out right now and she feared that even if she was able to say something, Amy wouldn't wish to hear it. It was clear that she was well passed apologies. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed to completely ignore the anger burning in Amy's eyes.

"Where did you get a sonic screwdriver?" he asked in disbelief and amazement.

"Possibly not the best time to be asking that, sweetheart," the Hatter said in strangled voice, before pausing, "Even if it is a rather good question".

"I made it," Amy replied, her eyes still narrowed, "And it's a sonic _probe_ ".

" _You_ made a sonic screwdriver?" Rory said in surprise.

"Probe," she corrected, turning with one last dark look at the glasses and threw the doors open, strolling on inside as Rory quickly followed after her, jogging along beside her as he looked around the dimly lit room that seemed to be some sort of engine room, with massive pieces of machinery in the middle of the room, but he didn't stop to take a closer look as Amy led him through a curtained off area that seemed to be her makeshift home.

He jumped slightly as he caught sight of a Handbot standing inside the alcove, "Oh!" he stared at it as it turned to reveal that Amy had drawn a smiley face onto its head and a tuft of hair in black marker.

The Hatter raised her eyebrows and smiled faintly, feeling her hearts lighten a little bit at the sight. The Amy that they knew couldn't be completely gone if she had gone to the effort to do something like that, in fact, it reminded her a little bit of Rory. That hair could have easily have been a drawing of Rory's fringe.

"Don't worry about him," Amy said dismissively, not even glancing over to the robot at Rory's gasp, "Sit down, Rory," she ordered and the Handbot took a seat on the edge of a piece of equipment, just as Rory sat down on a small box.

Rory slowly looked over at the robot, blinking, "You named him after me?" he looked back over to Amy.

Amy turned her back on him, "Needed a bit of company".

"So, he's like you're…."

"Pet," she cut across him, nodding. She bent down and picked something up from a piece of old equipment beside her, but she still had her back facing them, making it impossible to see exactly what it was. She seemed to stare down at it thoughtfully for a moment.

Rory looked back over to the Handbot and stood, "Is it safe?"

"Yep. I disarmed it".

He stepped closer to the robot, eyeing it closely, "How?"

"Look at the hands," the Hatter called to him, spotting the answer immediately.

He redirected his attention down to the hands, or rather the lack of hands. Amy had found a way to remove the hands from it, leaving little coloured wires sticking out from the arms metal wrists, "Oh!" he reached out to touch one of the arms, nodding in understanding as he glanced back over to Amy, "You… dis _armed_ it".

Amy shook her head slightly and dropped whatever was in her hand back onto the equipment, "Oh, don't get sentimental, it's a robot," she turned around to roll her eyes at him, "You'd have done the same".

"I don't know if I would have," the Doctor remarked, frowning at the screen.

"And there he is," she said darkly, walking closer to Rory as she glared at the glasses, "The voice of God. Survive, because no one's going to come for you. Number one lesson. You taught me that".

The Hatter swallowed, "After everything that we've been though, is that all that you've learnt from us?" she asked quietly, saddened by the thought.

"Don't lecture me, hat-girl and blue-box man flying through time and space on whimsy. All I've got, all I've had for thirty six years, is cold, hard reality. So no, I don't have a sonic screwdriver because I'm not off on a romp. I call it what it is. A probe. And I call my life what it is…hell".

 _ **I apologise for not updating last week, I've become just a little bit obsessed with Game Of Thrones with the next season so close and after re-watching the show I've rediscovered my love for Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth all over again, so I've been a little preoccupied with everything and anything related to them lately. I've even considered reading the books just to get more of them two. I'm starting to scare myself.**_

 _ **I just couldn't help myself from adding a bit more Doctor/Hatter flirting in this chapter; it feels like we haven't had much of it lately. Plus, I really wanted to try and include the Doctor and the Hatter as much as I possibly could during this episode, since it is mostly focused around Amy and Rory, so I've had to get a little creative and find ways to bring our Time Lords more into the episode.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Hatter is not pleased with something Older Amy has said, the Doctor's in the doghouse, and the Hatter is pushed out of her comfort zone. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Ah, right. Thank you for the clarification, I wasn't sure. Well, I think that if the Hatter had left with the Doctor when he first left Gallifrey with Susan, then I think that they probably would have ended up together. I'm not sure if I could really see them together during their First regenerations, though, I think they would have been busy with Susan, but I think it probably would have happened after they regenerated together. For some reason I don't think they would have married, not for a good while anyway and nor do I think they would have had a child together. I think they would have just been happy to be together, travelling the Universe together.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **It really would be interesting, I even found myself picturing what would have happened and imagining the Doctor's reaction to the realisation that the Hatter was still alive, but that she had just been trapped inside the Time Vortex. One of the brilliant things about Doctor Who is that there are so many possibilities for writing AU stories and one day I really would love to get the chance to be able to try writing one, and I think either the Hatter being trapped somewhere or going missing and presumed dead for centuries would be one of those stories I would love to try and write, even if it's just a one-shot.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I loved World Enough and Time, I think it and its second part are my favourite episodes of season 10. It was just so good, I loved the whole thing with the Black Hole meaning that the Doctor and Bill are living years apart from each other, even though they're on the same ship and that Bill was there, watching the Doctor slowly moving on that screen for years. I think my favourite part was when the Master revealed himself to Missy; I loved those two together so much. Is it wrong to ship them? Even just a little bit?**_

 _ **I think that the most shocking part was probably the very start when the Doctor steps out into the snow and he appears to be regenerating, that really made me worried. But I was also pretty shocked when Bill was shot, I hadn't been expecting that at all, but after that I kind of knew she was going to end turning into a Cyberman and I knew that the disguised Master was going to be the one to betray her the moment I realised that he was in disguise. I didn't realise it was him until I got a chance to see his eyes, though, then I knew it could only possibly be John Simm.**_

 _ **I was so excited to see John Simm back and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest bit. His interactions with Missy was just the best, all that flirting and then the way he completely betrayed Bill was just so typical Master. I also loved that it was, I'm pretty sure, the first time we've seen two versions of the Master meeting rather than two Doctors. I really enjoyed seeing the difference between the two of them and learning a bit more about the Master's relationship with the Doctor as children.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I actually laughed when I read this review, 'the sillier the better,' as the Hatter would say. Well, I think that if the Hatter ever meet Steven Moffat, Moffat would probably be very, very confused and the Hatter, depending on the regeneration, would likely be a little insulted that the Doctor has been recognised during his adventures and she hasn't been. Still, I think that the Hatter would be very interested to speak to Moffat about what he thinks of the Doctor and discuss with him some of the adventures that Moffat has written for the Doctor. I also imagine that she would be quite upset with Moffat over the whole River Song being snatched away from for her parent's thing.**_

 _ **Guest 4 (5):**_ _ **I think that the Hatter would have been quite shocked that the Master would bother to save her from the Time Lords and very confused and suspicious over it all. I highly doubt that the Hatter would have stayed with the Master, though, of course, the Master would probably just lock her up again as his prisoner and keep her like that until the events of 'World Enough and Time' and 'The Doctor Falls,' when the Hatter would finally be freed and would leave with the Doctor at the end, starting her travels with the Doctor from then on and trying to get to know her old friend again after all those centuries apart.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **The Hatter is going to be disgusted by John Simm's Master and horrified by his treatment of Bill and the way that he acts towards her after she is turned into a Cyberman (woman?), she might even be driven to slapping him at one point. I can certainly imagine her getting angry enough to do that. As for Missy being there with her past regeneration, I think the poor Hatter's going to think she's gone to hell having to deal with those two.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **World Enough Time? Did you mean 'The Doctor Falls?'**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **The Hatter would have found away, even if she had to spend years waiting for the chance, she would have still found a way to escape from Gallifrey, regardless of what her mother might have tried to do. Technically speaking, the Hatter outranked out mother, both politically and in title, and the Hatter could have used that to get around her mother's meddling.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **The Hatter's mother would be horrified to find herself trapped inside the Hatter's TARDIS, unable to get back to Gallifrey and the Hatter would be pretty upset about it, too. One of the reasons she left Gallifrey was to get her freedom and having her mother there wouldn't allow her the freedom that she had always dreamed of having. I do think that the Time Lords would believe the Hatter's mother, but I still think that there would have been a trial just to make it all official. I think that they would probably grow closer as a mother and daughter during their forced travels…then again, the Hatter's mother was a pretty horrible woman and she probably wouldn't ever warm up to the Hatter and have a real mother-daughter relationship even after facing life and death situations. The Hatter's mother working with humans? I actually feel like laughing trying to picture that, it would be a bit like the Master or the Rani being forced to work with humans.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **I think that the Hatter will really want to trust Missy and believe that she's changing, just like the Doctor, but I think she'll find it very hard to look passed everything that's happened and all the unforgivable things that Missy/Master has done over the centuries. After all, the Master murdered the Hatter's cousin and hid those memories from her, basically performing a form of telepathic rape on her, how could she ever possibly be able to forgive something like that? That's been something that still, to this day, affects her, so whether or not the Hatter will ever be able to truly believe that Missy has truly changed and accept her as a friend again, will be something that she will struggle with greatly and this might be pushing it to far on her forgiveness limits. But I guess we'll just have to see what her next regeneration is like.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **I don't know, I really honestly have no idea. They've been through so much together and there have been so many moments when the Hatter could have lost faith in the Doctor over something that he's done, but she hasn't. She trusts him completely and believes that he will always do the right thing because that's who he is. That's not to say that she thinks that he's perfect because she certainly doesn't and she completely accepts that he has done some terrible things, but she also understands that you can't live the life that they do without having to make some terrible choices sometimes and mistakes. The fact that she lives a very similar lifestyle that he has for centuries means that she understands and that allows her to keep her faith in him, even when he might make a terrible choice or mistake.**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **Huh, you know, shockingly I hadn't even thought about what I would do about the Curator version of the Doctor in the Fiftieth. I'm really going to have to think about that, so thank you for reminding me. I think I kind of always go into a bit of a fan-girl moment whenever I watch that scene and just completely shut out everything else, which is quite an achievement because usually I have to watch the episodes with the Hatter running through my head.**_

 _ **Guest (12):**_ _ **I guess you'll just have to wait and see :)**_

 _ **Guest (13):**_ _ **Loved it, I loved the Doctor falls so much. Flirty Master and Missy was the best, they made me laugh so much together and I just loved when Missy pushed him against that pillar. For some reason I could see the Hatter doing something like that out of pure frustration and anger with him and the Master making a little remark. The Hatter would probably kick his shin, if not something else a bit higher and can you imagine the Doctor's reaction?**_

 _ **I really liked how Bill's girlfriend came back and they took off together on their own adventures, though I am really going to miss Bill and am a little disappointed that she didn't stick around with the Doctor while he's just lying there on the console floor. Still, I'm positive we'll see her again in the future. Oh, and Nardole and his little remarks that made me smile, I'm going to miss him.**_

 _ **I seriously could go on about how much I enjoyed both parts of the season finale, but I won't because I feel like I've already fan-girled enough, so I'll just force myself to leave this here.**_

 _ **Guest (14):**_ _ **Ooh, there are so many possibilities to how the Hatter might react and at this point I actually don't know yet. I think I'm probably going to have to watch the episode a few times to figure out exactly how it would play out with the Hatter in it and what path I'm going to go done. Will she regenerate with the Doctor? Will she be awake to wave Bill off and wish her luck? At this point, I have no idea.**_

 _ **Guest (15):**_ _ **I almost didn't get the chance to reply to this, luckily I was just finishing up editing when I read the review. I think that season 10 has felt quite refreshing, maybe it's due to having a new companion that's not Clara after three years of having the same companion, or perhaps it's due to the whole plotline with the Doctor working at the University rather than hanging out in the TARDIS all the time. I think this season would be a really good one for people who are new to Doctor Who and I think that I'll probably be recommending first time viewers to start from season ten as an introduction. Personally, I have very much enjoyed this season, possibly even more so then I did season 9 or 8, and feel quite sad that it's all finished until Christmas. I mean, that cliff-hanger! Now that was just cruel.**_


	24. Chapter 24 The Girl Who Waited, Part 2

_**The Girl Who Waited, Part 2**_

"Whimsy?" the Hatter repeated slowly, staring back at the monitor and Amy as her expression darked, growing colder, "You think our life is whimsical?" her voice took on a hard edge that even made the Doctor wince, casting her a concerned look, but she didn't seem to notice. Her entire focus was on Amy as she continued angrily, "Explain to me how it is so _whimsical_ to witness people you care for, people you are _responsible_ for, die right before your very eyes because of something _you_ did. Explain to us how _whimsical_ it is to have to send our own baby away because we can't protect her against a threat that we unknowingly inspired out of fear," she didn't even blink when the Doctor put his hand on her back, her expression not changing in the slightest, her eyes fixed on Amy's pale face, "I would have expected, Amy, that you of all people would understand that every single day without our daughter is like a living hell for us. I can't close my eyes without seeing her face, so don't you dare call our life _whimsy_ ".

Amy swallowed and ducked her head, looking ashamed, "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I didn't think…"

"No," she agreed, some of the anger and coldness fading from her voice, but her voice still carried a steely edge to it. Amy's words had cut deep, far deeper then the Hatter could have expected, and while she probably ought to have simply let it go, she couldn't. Not about this because calling her and the Doctor's life 'whimsy,' was simply too much for her to be able to take at this already sensitive time. Amy, of all people, ought to know just what they were going through, "That's what happens when you allow your own hatred and rage to get the better of you, it makes you stop doing the most important thing that anyone can do: think," she took a deep breath and looked away from the screen, trying to calm herself down.

She felt for Amy, she truly did. She hated what had happened to her and she wished more than anything to fix what had happened, but that didn't give Amy a right to talk about her and the Doctor's life as if it was all bright and golden. They had been forced to send their own _baby_ away to protect her, people who lived a life of 'whimsy' never had to do that and the Hatter refused to let Amy speak that way about them, no matter how rightfully angry she might be at them.

The Doctor eyed the Hatter worriedly and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him, feeling quite relived when she let him. Her emotions were so raw at the moment; he couldn't say that he was surprised by her reaction, "Amy Pond," he began, turning back to screen. He sighed slightly when Amy flinched at the sound of his voice, seeming to be expecting him to be angry, too, "We're going to put this right."

Amy's head snapped up to stare at the glasses on Rory's face, surprise crossing her face as the Hatter sighed warily, feeling a little regretful for how harsh she had been before, "Of course we're going to help you," she told her, her tone growing lighter, gentle, "You didn't think that something like words could come between us helping you when you need us, did you? It's our fault you're in this position; we will do everything that we can to fix this".

"You said you learned from an interface," the Doctor remarked, looking thoughtful, "Can we speak with it?"

"Doesn't work in here," Amy replied, and checked her wristwatch, "Two twenty three. The garden will be clear now," she dropped her arm back to her side and looked back up to Rory, her eyebrows raised, "Stay or go?"

"Sorry, me?" Rory asked, startled as he pointed to himself, "No, I'm coming with you".

"Then try not to get killed. Or do. Whatever".

She turned and walked out, pushing the curtain aside as Rory followed behind her. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, that little statement had been quite telling on Amy's part. She still loved Rory, even after thirty six years of loneliness and separation; she was still in love with him and trying so hard to act as if she wasn't. Was it because she was afraid of being hurt again? Of being disappointed? Or was it because of the age gap now? Not even the Hatter could tell yet, but it was quite interesting to watch Amy interacting with Rory. Very interesting, indeed.

….

The garden was a large space that had lots of oddly shaped hedges that welcomed you when you first stepped into the garden, the bright artificial sunlight a little surprising after the dim lighting of the engine room. The Hatter's eyes lit up at the sight of the garden, whishing that she could have gone to see it for herself, but she supposed that seeing it within the safety of the TARDIS was better than dying, though she did wish Rory would look around the garden more as he trailed behind Amy as she led him through the garden and down a set of steps that went down into a courtyard space, a large bubbling fountain in the middle of it.

"When I first came here, I had to trick the Interface into giving me the information," Amy informed them as they walked, her eyes sharp as she carefully scanned around for any sign of the Handbot's, "But I've reprogrammed it now. It'll tell me anything except how to escape".

"You hacked it?" Rory said in amazement as they came to a stop. He stepped closer to Amy, staring at her, "That's _genius_!"

"Sorry to interrupt that beautiful moment," the Doctor cut in, giving the Hatter an apologetic look as she nudged his side with a frown. Amy and Rory were so close to having a little moment, she could see it in the very slight softening of Amy's expression, and he just had to go and cut in, didn't he? "But the temporal engines like that have a regulator valve," he went on, looking back to the screen, "Has to be kept at a distance from the main reactor or there'd be feedback. Interface, where's the regulator?" he called.

A green hologram of a plan for one of the engines appeared before Amy and Rory, giving the Time Lords a perfect view of it as they eyed it carefully on their screen, "The regulator valve is held within," the Interface stated, drawing their attention to the location on the plan.

"Ah!" he nodded, breaking into a smile as he glanced at the Hatter, "Oh, very, very 'ah!'"

The Hatter shook her head fondly and leaned closer to the screen, trying to get a better look at the diagram, "Interface, we're going to need to have a closer look at those technical specifications," she told it, looking thoughtful, "Rory, if you could please pass those glasses over to Amy for a tick, that would be great, thank you".

The image on their screen shifted as Rory took the glasses off, showing them the ground and a bit of what looked like Rory's legs, "Here you go," he said to Amy as he seemed to be passing them across to her.

Amy, after a moment, slipped the glasses on and the image on their screen changed to show Rory watching her face carefully, "They look ridiculous," she commented, looking back out over the courtyard.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, quite offended, before forcing themselves to get back to the task at hand. What did Rory or Amy know about fashion anyway?

"That's what I told them," Rory admitted quietly, though the Time Lords could easily hear every word through the speakers system. He was smiling, looking amused a he leaned towards Amy, "Still, anything beats a fez, eh?" he and Amy laughed together, before Amy stopped suddenly, making him frown in concern, "What is it?"

"I think that's the first time I've laughed in thirty six years," she said softly, staring back at Rory. The Time Lords stopped and looked back up at the screen, their expressions softening as small smiles crossed their faces. Now _that_ was the moment they had been waiting for.

Rory stared back at her for a long moment, before he swallowed and took a small step back from her, "I'll just, er…leave you three geniuses alone," he cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes, yes," she nodded, seeming to jump slightly as she quickly looked back over to the garden.

"I'll be back in a minute," he muttered, turning and heading back up the stairs that they had entered via, disappearing out of sight.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Amy," the Hatter said gently, unable to stop the hopeful smile from entering her tone. She wished she could be there to speak to her properly; she hated not being able to see her facial expression right now, her eyes especially. The eyes couldn't hide what someone was truly feeling, she realised that now since the Doctor had admitted his feelings for her. She had seen the love in his eyes for centuries and refused to see it, but it had been there. It was always there, "Thirty six years might have passed, but your love for Rory is just as strong today as it was when you stepped into Two Streams," she glanced back up to the Doctor, "Time is meaningless when love still existence between two people".

Amy scoffed, "Well, you would say that, wouldn't you, Hatter?" she said almost bitterly, "You always do have a naïve view on love and life".

The Hatter laughed, so much so that she actually had to hold onto the edge of the console, while the Doctor's mouth twitched slightly in amusement, "Oh, it's been a long time since I considered myself to be naive, Amy," she told her through giggles, "A _very_ long time, I prefer to see myself as the eternal optimist. If that makes me naive, so be it".

"The Hatter is right, though," the Doctor cut in, "There's still time to fix everything".

Amy made a slightly chocked noise in her throat and looked down, so the Time Lords left her to her own thoughts as they went back to looking over the specifications that the Interface had provided for them, when a beeping sound came from the screen and they looked back up to see Amy looking down at her watch. They didn't even get a chance to ask what was wrong, when she turned and took off jogging back through the garden, but as she reached the door out of the garden, they found Rory lying on his back by the door as a Handbot stood above him, its head open up and appearing to be about to fire a small medical dart at Rory. Amy didn't even hesitate to dash forward and draw her sword, cutting the robot's head off, causing its motionless body to spark.

"Oh…" Rory moaned from the ground, looking quite stunned.

"Rory?" she quickly knelt beside him, looking him over worriedly as the Time Lords could only watch on.

He blinked groggily, as if he had been drugged and lifted his head slightly to look at her, "Glasses".

She stood and angrily turned away from him, but she seemed to be angrier at herself then Rory. The Hatter smiled slightly, that was good, that meant that she had started to allow herself to care for him again, "You stupid…" she snapped, glaring back out across the garden.

"Oh!" Rory gasped, sounding a bit more aware of himself now, "You saved me".

She whirled back on him, "Don't get used to it," she spat aggressively, glaring down at him.

He blinked up at her, before frowning, "Have you been crying?" he asked, alarmed, "A little bit," he quickly added, looking a little worried that he might have upset her more.

"Shut up, Rory".

"You have, haven't you?"

"Woman with a sword," she warned, holding the sword up pointedly, "Don't push it".

Rory slowly raised his hands in surrender, though he didn't look overly frightened by the warning, his eyes lingering a little too long on Amy. The Doctor and the Hatter shook their heads in amusement, but it was rather sweet that even though Amy was thirty six years older, Rory still seemed to find her to be just as attractive as the Past Amy.

"Okay," the Doctor shook his head as the Hatter brought up the information that they had gathered on the screen for them to see, "So here's the plan," he continued as Rory climbed onto his feet, "Time is always a bit wibbly-wobbly, but in Two Streams it's extra wobbly".

"No surprise there," the Hatter remarked as Amy roughly took the glasses off and gave them back to Rory, the image switching to show Amy frowning back at them, "But that's beside the point because we have managed to find a way to hack into the Temporal Engines and, with no small amount of skill and luck, we will be able to fold Amy's timeline together," she smiled brightly, looking quite proud, "We'll bring our original Amy out of the _then_ and into the _now_ ".

"Amy, we just need to borrow your brain a minute. It won't hurt, probably, almost probably…and then, Amy Pond, we're going to save you".

Amy took a step closer to Rory, glaring at the glasses, "No!" she said sharply, making the Doctor and the Hatter blink in mild confusion. She held her sonic probe up, "Time's up. Handbots coming".

She turned and stormed out of the garden doorway, leading them back through the facility as Rory struggled to catch up with her, making their way down the hallway to the Temporal Engine room.

"Amy, please, we're trying to help you," the Hatter called after her, but she didn't look back to Rory, still storming down the hallway, "Please, Amy, just let us help you!"

"We need you to think back thirty six years ago," the Doctor tried, but Amy just ignored him, too, pushing the doors open and striding on into the engine room, "Amy?" he frowned after her as the doors swung shut on them, "Amy!"

Rory paused before the doors and eyed the red smudges that were smeared across the doors for a moment, before he lifted the Time Glass up to it, revealing the words 'Doctor, Hatter, I'm waiting,' written in red lipstick.

"You told her to leave us a sign, Hatter," he said quietly as the Hatter swallowed, feeling her hearts breaking at the sight. The Doctor took her hand, "And she did. And she waited. Oh, Amy," he sighed sadly and lowered the Time Glass. He pushed the doors open, dashing inside, easily catching up with Amy as she headed back to her curtained area, "Why won't you help yourself?" he demanded.

"They want to rescue past me from thirty six years back, which means I'll cease to exist," Amy replied, not slowing her pace in the slightest, "Everything I've seen and done dissolves. Time is rewritten".

He came to a stop, staring after her, "That's…that's good, isn't it?" he asked, sounding confused.

Amy turned back to face him, "I will _die_ ," she told him quietly, meeting his eyes, "Another Amy will take my place. An Amy who never got trapped at Two Streams, an Amy who grew old with _you_ , and she, in thirty six years, won't be _me_ ".

The Hatter closed her eyes and sighed heavily, ducking her head. The way she was talking…it almost reminded her of the Tenth Doctor, the way that he had talked about his regeneration. It wasn't fair, none of this was fair.

"But you'll die _here_ ".

"Not if you take me with you," Amy argued, and the Time Lords exchanged a quick look, "You came to rescue me, so rescue me".

"Leave her and take you?"

The Doctor licked his lips, glancing at the Hatter as she looked worriedly at the screen, fiddling with the zipper of her jacket. He turned back to the screen, "We could take this Amy with us, easy," he admitted, looking very serious, "But if we do, our Amy has to wait thirty six years to be rescued".

"So I have to choose," Rory said slowly, sounding stunned by the idea, the sheer scale of the decision that he would have to make. It was impossible, "Which wife do I want?"

The Hatter winced slightly at the way he made it sound, "I wouldn't have put it like that, but…yes," she agreed grimly.

"She _is_ me," Amy said firmly, looking at him directly, "We're _both_ me," she turned and started to head towards her curtained area again.

"You being here is wrong," Rory called after her, making her pause and look back over her shoulder to him, "For a single day, an hour, let alone a lifetime. I swore to protect you. I promised".

She stared back at him and shook her head angrily, before turning and throwing her curtains apart and marching inside, disappearing from sight.

"Rory…" the Doctor began.

"This is your fault," Rory murmured, anger entering his tone, "Both of you".

The Hatter ducked her head and nodded guilty, knowing that his words were true. It was their fault, everything that had happened today with Amy was their fault, "You're right, it is our fault," she agreed, trying hard not to let her own emotions get the better of her. Her getting tearful right now was the last thing they needed, "And we are so sorry, words can't even express how sorry we are…"

"This is your fault!" he cut her off with a shout, making her flinch, "You two should look in a history book once and a while, see if there's an outbreak of plague or not!"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed on the screen, not liking Rory's tone of voice or the way that he had just made the Hatter cringe. No one spoke to his wife like that, "Rory," he said sharply, ignoring the quick, warning look that the Hatter shot him, "That's not how we travel".

"Then I do not want to travel with you!" he snapped and roughly ripped the glasses off his face, throwing them onto the ground a short distance away.

The Time Lords jumped and winced, covering their ears painfully as a sharp burst of feedback sounded throughout the room for a moment, before quietening. The Hatter sighed heavily and lowered her hands, fixing the Doctor with a small frown.

"Well, that went wall," she whispered, not wishing Rory or Amy to hear her. They clearly both needed a break from them both.

The Doctor placed his hands on the console and leaned over the controls, bowing his head, "I didn't like the way he was talking to you," he said just as softly.

"I can defend myself, sweetheart," she muttered, still frowning faintly. She reached out and put a hand on his back, "And it's really not the time to be getting defensive, either. Neither Rory nor Amy could possibly understand the dangers of foreknowledge".

He lifted his head to look at her, going to open his mouth to say something, when a soft noise caught their attention through the speakers. It sounded like crying, Amy crying. He blinked slowly, "Did you hear…?"

"Yes," she cut him off, nodding as she listened closely, "That's Amy crying," her eyes widened, realisation hitting her as her head snapped back up to him, "And I'm quite sure it's _our_ Amy, too".

"Rory," he called, looking hopeful, unable to see Rory on the screen, "Is the Time Glass still on? If the link's still active, I think we can hear Amy. _Our_ Amy".

They waited tensely for a moment, wondering if Rory had even heard them or would even listen to a word that they had said, when they heard Rory sigh softly, "Oh, Amy," he said sadly, the sound of the curtains being pushed aside reaching them as there was a short pause, before, "Look me in the face and say you won't help her".

"I will not help her," Older Amy's voice reached them, sounding firm.

"Okay, okay," he agreed quietly, his footsteps sounding on the concrete floor for a moment, "Look me in the face and say it now".

"Rory?" Amy, _their_ Amy's tearful voice sounded. The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other hopefully, "Rory, is that you?" there was a brief pause as the noise of the sonic screwdriver buzzing sounded, "Rory, where are you?" she asked, her voice stronger now, as if she was actually standing in the same room as them.

"Same place as you, and a bit ahead".

"I remember this," Older Amy remarked, sounding surprised as the sound of her moving reached them. The Hatter assumed that she had moved to take a closer look at her past self in the Time Glass.

"But who's she?" Younger Amy questioned, confused, "There's no one else here but…" she trailed off, realisation hitting her, "Me".

The Hatter blinked slightly in confusion as the image on the screen shifted and a flash of white appeared on the screen, like that of a Handbot. Ah, so Rory-bot had found the glasses and picked them up, it would seem, just as the sound of the curtains being moved sounded and they could see Rory step out, upside down on the screen. He slowly looked down at the glasses as the robot held them out to him and reached out to take them.

The brunet reached out and turned a dial on the console, shutting off the comm. link and speaker, deciding that whatever it was that Amy and her past self had to talk about, it really wasn't her or the Doctor's business. Amy, their Amy, would have to reach down deep to convince her older self to change her mind and agree to help them, more than likely using personal details of her and Rory's relationship together. She and the Doctor would only be intruding by listening in.

"Do you think this will work?" the Doctor asked after a long moment of silence, staring at the screen as Rory fiddled with the glasses, waiting.

"I think that if anyone can get through to Amy, it would be herself," the Hatter replied, sighing slightly. She leaned back against the console and crossed her arms across her chest, lightly tapping her foot.

He edged closer to her and snaked his arm around her waist, making her stop bouncing her foot to cuddle in closer to him, tilting her head so that she could rest the side of her head against his shoulder, "We'll fix this," he said confidentially, pressing a kiss on top of her head, "I promise".

She smiled faintly, "I thought I was the one who made the promises in this relationship?"

He shrugged his free shoulder playfully, smiling down at her, "That's because you're the promise expert," he pulled a face and shook his head, "Oh, that's a rubbish title".

"Yeah, it is," she laughed, lifting her head to look at him.

"I'm never saying that again, dear".

"Please don't".

"Still…" he slowly smiled at her, lightly nudging her side, "It was worth it to hear that laugh".

She rolled her eyes fondly, "Flirt!" she accused, lightly poking his chest.

He grinned and caught her wrist, bringing it up to his lips to lightly kiss her knuckles, "And very proud of it, my dear Hatter," he agreed with a hint of smugness in his tone, not letting go of her hand as he lowered it.

She shook her head at him, struggling to hold back another laugh, when her eyes caught something on the screen and she gave him a quick look, "Back to work, sweetheart," she said sternly, growing serious as they moved to stand in front of the screen and she reached out to hit the comm. button, activating the link once more.

The sound of the curtain being pushed open sounded and Rory turned, giving them a chance to see Older Amy standing before him, upside down on the screen, "I am going to pull time apart for you," she told him, breaking into a wide smile as she walked closer to him and gently kissed him. The Time Lords adverted their gazes from the screen as the couple broke apart and hugged, not that they could see very much, thankfully, but it was quite obvious what had just transpired between them.

….

"Okay, Doctor, Hatter," Older Amy spoke as she led Rory back through the Temporal Engine room, drawing the Time Lords attention back to the screen, "Two Streams is back on air. Right, okay, so this is big news. This is temporal earthquake time. I am now officially changing my own future," she looked back over her shoulder to Rory; coming very close to smirking, "Hold on to your spectacles. In my past, I saw my future self refuse to help you. I'm now changing that future and agreeing. Every Law of Time says that shouldn't be possible".

"Ah, but that's not quite true," the Hatter cut in, looking thoughtfully at the screen, "You see, sometimes when someone knows their future, they can then use that knowledge to change it," she frowned slightly, "But it's tricky and time will always fight to happen, so sometimes the very fact that you try to change your future _makes_ that future happen. Time travel, who ever said it was easy?" she exchanged a quick look with the Doctor.

"But it does help if you're bloody minded," the Doctor commented, shaking his head, "Contradictory, and completely unpredictable".

"So basically, if you're Amy, then?" Rory said with a hint of fondness in his tone, just as Older Amy pushed the doors open and they stepped out into the hallway outside the Temporal Engine room.

"Yes," he nodded, smiling very faintly, "If anyone could defeat pre-destiny, it's your wife," he paused, glancing back to the Hatter as his smile grew wider, "Or mine, for that matter".

The Hatter gave him a bright smile, looking quite flattered. Well, it wasn't every day that someone told you that you could defeat pre-destiny. As a Time Lady it was quite flattering to hear, though it probably shouldn't have been for the very same reason, "Aww, thank you, sweetheart," she quickly planted a kiss to his cheek, making him look quite pleased with himself.

"It's not about _what_ I'm doing, but _who_ I'm doing it for," Older Amy said firmly, pausing in the middle of the hallway to look back at Rory. She gave him a very serious look, "I'm trusting you to watch my back, Rory".

"Always," Rory told her at once, nodding sincerely, "You and me, _always_ ".

The Doctor and the Hatter smiled softly, it was exactly the sort of thing that they would have said if they had been in their position. It was always lovely to see a couple who loved each other just as much as the Time Lords loved each other.

"Because here's the deal…" she continued, her expression not wavering in the slightest, her eyes fixed very firmly on his face, "You take me, too. In the TARDIS…" the Doctor and the Hatter's smiles slipped off their faces, staring back at the screen, "Me too".

The Hatter swallowed, hard, and reached out to take the Doctor's hand. If Amy was truly asking them to take her along with them with her younger self…well, that was going to pose a lot of issues. Oh, this really wasn't going to end well, was it?

"But that means that there'll be two of you," Rory realised slowly, sounding as if he was frowning, "Permanently. Forever".

"And that way we both get to live".

"Two Amy's together. Can that work?"

The Doctor glanced back to the Hatter, who was shaking her head slowly, but he really hadn't needed to see her reaction to know the truth. Neither of them could make it work, no Time Lord could. What Amy was asking them to do…it was impossible. The TARDIS, let alone the fabric of time itself, couldn't possibly handle having two different versions of Amy in it at different points in her time stream, it could never work. But how could either of them tell them that?

"We don't know," he said eventually, trying very hard to sound light and unconcerned. He couldn't bring himself to tell them, not yet, and judging from the worried look on the Hatter's face, she was feeling the same way as him, "It's your marriage," he shrugged, not caring if they couldn't see it.

"Doctor!" Rory hissed, growing annoyed at his flippancy.

He bit his lip and glanced at the Hatter, meeting her eyes as she shook her head at him. He sighed and closed his eyes briefly, knowing he was going to regret this, "Perhaps…" he said reluctantly, forcing himself to look back to the Hatter. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, her mouth set in a tight line, clearly not the slightest bit pleased with his decision to give them false hope, but what else could he have done? They needed Older Amy to agree to help them in order to get their Amy back and she clearly wasn't going to help them if she didn't think that it might be possible for her to be able to live. He didn't see any other way, "Maybe, if I shunted the reality compensators on the TARDIS," he went on quickly, thinking fast, "Re-calibrated the Doomsday bumpers and jettisoned the Karaoke bar, yes…" he reached up to scratch his head, giving the Hatter a pleading look, but her expression remained the same, "Maybe. Yes," he swallowed guilty, "It could do it. The TARDIS could sustain the paradox".

"Hatter?" Rory called, sounding a little concerned. It wasn't like her to be so silent while the Doctor was talking about a way to save the day. Usually she would have been agreeing with the Doctor and adding her own little bit into the plan.

" _Please, Hatter_ ," the Doctor pleaded mentally to her, reaching out to take her hand and squiz it, " _I don't like it any more then you do, but we have to do this_ ".

The Hatter eyes grew colder and she took a small step back from him, dropping his hand, "He's right, Rory," she forced out, her voice sounding very steady and calm, but the Doctor cringed, knowing it was just an act, "And we'll do what we can to make it work".

She was angry, she couldn't believe that the Doctor had actually gone and told them a massive lie like that without even consulting with her first, and to make it worse, she had now been forced to lie to Amy and Rory to keep it all going because, while she hated to admit it, they had no choice but to lie to them. There was no way that they could have two Amy's in the TARDIS, it was impossible. Perhaps it was naïve of her, but she still held out hope that they might be able to talk Older Amy around to helping them, for Rory's sake if not her own, but that possibility was completely gone now. Amy and Rory now believed that there was a chance that they could save both Amy's and give them a chance to live, and she had now been forced to confirm that lie. She could have slapped the Doctor for forcing her into that position.

"Right…" Rory said a bit happier, not seeming to notice anything, "Amy…" he turned around and held up the Time Glass, activating it to show Young Amy standing before them in the glass, giving them a little smile, "And Amy. The wife and the wife, right. Right," he nodded, lowering the glass as Young Amy waved slowly back to them.

"Okay, Amy," the Doctor began, forcing himself to turn back to the screen, "Past Amy, stand by the door. Future Amy, you too," Future Amy moved to do as he had instructed, "Future Amy, can I borrow you sonic scr…probe," he quickly corrected, shaking his head slightly as he tripped over the word.

Older Amy looked back to the glasses, "It's a screwdriver," she admitted with a smile, reaching into her pocket and pulling the device out, handing it over to Rory before heading over to the doors.

"Rory," the Hatter called, sighing heavily. If she left it all to the Doctor then Rory would only grow suspicious again and start asking questions, though she hated herself for having to keep the lie going, "You're going to need to us our sonic screwdriver on the probe," she told him, "We need to double our power".

Rory nodded and aimed the sonic screwdriver at the probe, doing as she said.

"Amy Now, you're our link to Amy Then," the Doctor explained, speaking quickly. He kept shooting the Hatter's looks from out of the corner of his eyes, but she was doing a very good job at avoiding eye contact right now. He gave himself a sharp shake and turned back to the screen, knowing that his wife's anger with him would have to wait for the time being, "We need to get a signal through, and that signal will be a thought".

"Both of you, Amy Then and Now, have to share one thought," the Time Lady nodded, gripping the edge of the console until her knuckles turned white, "One very, very powerful thought, preferably a special memory. Think of it like…like…" she broke into a faint smile, unable to stop herself from meeting the Doctor's eyes, "Like a Protranus Charm, because this one thought works very similar, only it's going to allow you to rip through time itself and it's going to be your lifeline".

Older Amy glanced back over to Rory, catching her sonic probe as he threw it back to her. It was pretty clear just what her special memory was likely going to include.

"Rory," the Doctor called, unable to stop the wide smile from crossing his face. Well, she couldn't be to mad at him if she was making references to Harry Potter…could she? "Sonic the plinth front," Rory turned and headed over to the plinth, flashing the sonic at it, as he was told, "Inside you'll find three levers and a jumble of wiring".

On the screen, Rory finished sonicing the plinth front and the front slide down to reveal the inside wiring and levers, while a small screen with readings on it popped up on top of the plinth.

"That's the regulator valve," the Hatter informed him, eyeing the screen closely, "Now, remember, Rory, after we re-route it, you will only have ten minutes in order to make your way back to the TARDIS".

"Okay," Rory nodded, moving closer to the controls.

"Pull out the red and green receptors," the Doctor instructed him quickly, not bothering to slow his speech down in the slightest, "Re-route the blue into the red and the green into blue. Leave the red loose and on no account touch anything yellow," he warned, watching carefully as Rory's hands reached into view and grabbed the green and blue receptors, but he paused, looking back and forth between the wires in his hands, apparently confused. He shook his head impatiently, "Come on, Rory. It's hardly rocket science".

"Yes, it's _only_ quantum physics," the Hatter said with a hint of sarcasm entering her tone as she threw the Doctor a look. The Doctor winced slightly, sarcasm directed towards someone was usually a sign that she wasn't happy with them, well, unless it was her Third regeneration, then it could go either way. She turned back to the screen, "Rory, you're doing fine," she assured him, her tone growing gentler, "Now, just put the blue receptor in the red".

"Yes, right," Rory muttered, sounding a bit flustered as he moved to do just that, "Blue into red and…"

"Green into blue," she said calmly, nodding as he followed her instruction, "Very good, Rory. Remember, leave the red loose and don't touch the yellow".

"Right, I think I've got it".

"Now, the levers," the Doctor called hurriedly, "Throw them in order! And Amy, start thinking the most important thought you have ever had. Hold it in your head and do not let it go".

"You can do this, Amy," the Hatter said encouragingly, feeling very grateful that they couldn't see the guilt written across her face right now. She took a deep breath, trying hard to keep how she was truly feeling from entering her voice, "Okay, Rory, lever one!"

Rory reached out and pulled the first lever down, looking quickly back over to Older Amy as she looked down at the ground for a moment, thinking, "Macarena," she said quietly, a small smile crossing her face, "Macarena…" she closed her eyes.

"She's doing the Macarena," he realised, staring at her. The Doctor and the Hatter broke into a smile, watching the screen.

She started swaying on the spot; her eyes still closed, "Macarena," she repeated, "Macarena".

"Our first kiss," he breathed.

"Aww," the Hatter cooed, unable to stop herself, watching the screen, "That's adorable".

The Doctor pouted slightly, "I thought _I_ was adorable".

She instantly fixed him with a glare and pointed a stern finger at him, "Not when I'm annoyed with you," she hissed, making sure to keep her voice as low as she possibly could, not wishing Rory or Amy to hear. Thankfully, when she whipped back to the screen, ignoring the Doctor's wince guiltily, it seemed that Rory had been too busy watching Amy to pay them the slightest bit of attention, "Rory!" she said loudly, "Lever two!"

Rory reached out and pulled the second lever, looking back over to Older Amy, just as a faint shadowy figure of Younger Amy appeared before her other self, both doing the Macarena.

"Lever three," the Doctor called.

Rory pulled the third lever and the sound of glass shattering sound over the speakers, just as the TARDIS console sparked violently and the Doctor immediately wrapped his arms around the Hatter, trying to shield her from any sparks. The sparking didn't last long and once it had stopped, they moved back to the controls, waving smoke away as they looked back up to the monitor screen to see that the plan had worked. There was two Amy's standing before each other, staring back at one another, completely solid and whole.

"Oh, Amy," Rory gasped, jogging over to them.

"Oh, my God," Younger Amy exclaimed, her eyes widening as she stared back at the older version of herself.

"Oh, my God," Older Amy said after her, looking just as stunned.

Rory reached them and Younger Amy spun around, gasping in delight at the sight of him and throwing her arms around him, the two of them embracing tightly. He spun her around on the spot before pulling away to look at her as she laughed, grinning back at him, when they both seemed to remember that they weren't alone and looked back over to Older Amy, who had been watching the scene with an embarrassed look on her face. He cleared his throat, "Sorry," he nodded to Older Amy, reluctantly letting go of Younger Amy and taking a small step back from her.

The Hatter shook her head in mild amusement, though she couldn't help feeling sorry for Older Amy. It had to be hard to witness that happen, painfully so, like witnessing the person you loved being with someone else, regardless of the fact that that other person was you, just a different version. She wondered if it would be like that for the Doctor if they came across a younger version of themselves from before they had married or become romantically involved, would a younger version of the Doctor feel upset to see his future self being close to her. Of course, she didn't need to worry about her past regenerations being that way considering the fact that until very recently, they were all in complete denial over their feelings for him.

Older Amy eyed Rory for a moment, before looking back to Younger Amy, "Hello," she greeted, clearing her throat slightly uncomfortably.

"Hello!" Younger Amy said a bit more brightly.

"I don't know what to…" they both began to say, only to trail off as they realised what they had done.

Rory looked back and forth between them, "Weird," he muttered.

"Okay, this is weird," they both spoke in unison again, before blinking at one another, "Right, just stop that".

"How about Amy One speaks first?" Rory suggested, and the Hatter groaned loudly, closing her eyes in exasperation.

Both Amy's looked back to him, "Which one's Amy One?" they asked.

"Well…" he began, hesitating slightly, seeming to finally sense just how dangerous this line of conversation was.

"I am," they both said before looking back to each other, frowning, "No, I am! Rory!" they looked back over to him, "Rory, just stop doing that!"

The TARDIS console suddenly sparked again and, as the Time Lords both jumped slightly in surprise, they looked up to see the image on the screen flicker for a moment.

"Ah!" Rory yelped painfully.

"Rory, take the glasses off!" the Hatter told him hurriedly, her eyes widening worriedly as the Doctor quickly moved to grab a small fire extinguisher from beneath the controls, just in case any fires broke out. She sighed heavily as she waved some smoke away and leaned over to flick a switch, trying to settle the console down, "We've got temporal feedback, I'm afraid".

Suddenly, one of the control panels exploded and black smoke filled the air, just as Rory threw the glasses off.

"Whoa!" the Doctor shouted in alarm, his eyes widening as he hurried around to the panel, using his free hand to try and wave the smoke away, hoping to check if there was any serious damage done.

"Blimey!" the Hatter shook her head, coughing slightly into her sleeve as the smoke tickled her throat and stung her eyes. She used her other hand to lightly pat the side of the Time Rotor, "Oh, I know, old girl, I'm not any more happy with him then you are right now," she said comfortingly to the time machine, shooting the Doctor's back a look, "Shh, hush now," she hummed, lightly stroking the glass, "Just calm down, we'll fix it all up in just a tick".

The Doctor sighed and spun around, sitting the fire extinguisher down on the floor in easy reach range should anything else explode. Well, he supposed that proved that she was still unhappy with him for lying to Amy and Rory and for dragging her into it without asking, "Rory, Amy!" he called, reaching over to pull a lever down, "We've created a massive paradox and the TARDIS hates it".

The Hatter winced as she quickly moved around the controls, desperately trying to steady the time machine, "That's putting it lightly," she groaned, shaking her head as she reached out to hit a button, "She's self-phasing in her desperate attempt to get away from here".

"What's the nasty Amy done to you?" he tutted as he paused in his working at the controls to lightly pat the side of the controls, "Just calm down, old girl. Hang on in there," he quickly moved around to the next panel.

"Rory, remember, you only have eight minutes left," the Time Lady warned, moving around to look at the monitor screen to see that the image had cleared enough for her to be able to see Rory kneeling on the ground, peering down at the glasses on the ground, "And we're sorry, we truly are," she sighed, "But we can't help you any further. Good luck".

The monitor sparked and she ducked out of the way, just as a high pitched noise filled the speakers. The noise didn't last long and slowly, the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other as static filled the screen. It was down to the two Amy's and Rory now, but the three of them getting back to the TARDIS was only the start, before they could leave they would have to do one last horrible thing and betray someone who had put their trust in them. Again. It certainly left a bitter taste in the Hatter's mouth, thinking about it, but they didn't have time to dwell on it before they were forced to hurry back to the controls, desperately trying to steady and calm the TARDIS down.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter finally managed to land the TARDIS without the console wanting to blow them up, but they had hardly even parked before a loud scream sounded from outside the doors, making their heads whip around to stare at the door. Suddenly, the doors flew open and Rory ran into the room, carrying Younger Amy in his arms, looking as if she was unconscious.

"Amy!" the Time Lady gasped, her eyes widening in concern as she and the Doctor ran down the steps to join them as Rory gently laid Amy on the floor. She quickly pulled he jacket off and threw it over Amy for a makeshift blanket, eyeing her worriedly as she reached out the press the back of her hand against her forehead, "She's going to be fine," she told Rory reassuringly, glancing back up to him, "She's just been hit by a minor dose of anaesthetic. She'll be out for a few minutes".

The Doctor moved across to the still open door and grabbed the edge of the door, looking into the white gallery area to see Older Amy standing at the other end of the room, staring back across to him. She tossed her sword and staff aside, running towards the TARDIS, "We're sorry," he breathed, right before he slammed the door shut on her, just as she reached it.

Rory looked up from Amy, his eyes widening, "What are you _doing_?" he demanded, jumping onto his feet.

"We…we lied to her," the Hatter admitted quietly, keeping her head ducked, unable to meet his eyes. She might not have agreed to the lie, but she had played her role in it and she was just as guilty as the Doctor was, "We lied to you both because the truth is that there can never be two Amys in the TARDIS," she swallowed hard, forcing herself to lift her head to meet his eyes, "The paradox of something like that…it would be beyond massive, Rory. The TARDIS couldn't possibly handle it".

"Doctor!" Older Amy shouted through the doors, pounding her hand against it, "Let me in!"

"You can't leave her!" Rory cried, pointing back at the door, "She'll die!"

"Hatter, let me in!"

The Hatter winced and slowly climbed onto her feet, wrapping her arms around her middle to try and stop herself from going near the door. It was her first instinct to go to someone's side when they needed help and having to stand by and listen to Older Amy beg for them to let her in with that desperate tone in her voice, it was taking every ounce of will power not to go to her aid, even if helping Older Amy meant going against her instincts as a Time Lady.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, raising his voice over Amy's shouts and pounding. He looked as if he was going through the same struggle as the Time Lady, "She'll never have existed," he said firmly, looking back to Rory's appalled face, "When we save our Amy, this future won't have happened".

"But she happened!" Rory argued, taking a step forward, "She's _there_!"

"I trusted you!"

The Doctor closed his eyes at her anguished cries and the Hatter moved to his side, placing a hand on his arm. His eyes snapped open at the contact and he looked back to her, slightly surprised, "She's not real," he reminded himself, feeling his resistance slipping slightly.

"She is real," Rory insisted, moving closer to the door, looking back and forth between them, "Let her in".

"Rory, I'm so sorry," the Hatter began, turning back to him, "But you have a choice and it's one that neither the Doctor nor I can make because this will affect you and Amy's life forever," she took a deep breath, "Yes, we can save that Amy outside those doors, but only if we leave that Amy…" she pointed back across to Younger Amy on the floor, not taking her eyes off him, "Behind here to wait for thirty six years. There can only be _one_ Amy in the TARDIS, Rory, only one".

"Which one do you want?" the Doctor asked, grabbing Rory's wrist as he tried to pull himself away, but he only tightened his grip and moved Rory's hand to rest on the latch of the door, "It's your choice".

Rory stared at them with wide eyes, breathing heavily, "This isn't fair," he spat at them angrily, "You're turning me into you two".

The Hatter flinched, but she forced herself to hold her head high and not look away from his glare, "We can't make this choice Rory," she said quietly, desperately hoping that he would understand. This was about Amy and Rory's life together; their future, she and the Doctor didn't have the power to dictate how they ought to live their lives. It might have been cruel for them to have to force Rory into this position, but he had a right to decide, "And I am so sorry, but you have to choose," she reached out and lightly touched his arm, "As cruel and unfair as it may be, Rory, this is a choice that must be your own".

He looked at her heart brokenly, his eyes filling with tears, "Please, Hatter," he half pleaded, "Help me".

She squizzed his arm, feeling her eyes prickling hotly, "I wish I could, Rory, I truly do," she forced herself to let go of his arm, closing her eyes tightly, "But there's nothing more that we can do".

"Doctor?" Older Amy called through the door, still pounding against it as Rory could only watch on as the Doctor took the Hatter's hand and the two of them turned away, heading back up to the console, "Hatter? Doctor! Hatter! Rory, please," she said desperately and Rory looked back to see her hand resting against one of the window panes of the door. He reached out and covered the glass with his own hand, "The look on your face when you carried her. Me. Her…" she corrected herself, her voice growing softer, "When you carried _her_ away. You used to look at me like that. I'd forgotten how much you loved me. I'd forgotten how much I loved being her," Rory rested his head against the door, tears streaming down his face, "Amy Pond, in the TARDIS, with Rory Williams".

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," he shook his head tearfully and twisted the latch. The Doctor and the Hatter looked back over from the console.

"If you love me, don't let me in," she told him firmly, and he stared back at the door in shock, "Open that door, I will, I'll come in. I don't want to die. I won't bow our bravely. I'll be kicking and screaming, fighting. To the end".

"Amy…" he breathed, his hand slipping down the door, "Amy, I love you".

"I love you, too. Don't let me in. Tell Amy, your Amy, I'm giving her the days. The days with you. The days to come".

"I'm so, _so_ sorry".

"The days I can't have. Take them, please. I'm giving you my days".

"I'm so, so sorry," he forced himself to let go of the latch and turned away from the doors, tears dripping down his face. His eyes came to land on his Amy, safe and protected, still lying on the floor.

"Do not be alarmed," the Handbot's voice sounded through the door, "This is a kindness. Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness…"

The Hatter sniffed back tears and used her sleeve to roughly wipe her own tears away, "I don't think we need to witness this," she said quietly, and reached out to pull a lever. She didn't want Rory to have to go through witnessing Older Amy's final moments; today had been cruel enough as it was, and Older Amy didn't deserve to spend her last moments like that.

The Time Rotor began moving up and down and the sound of the TARDIS engines filled the room as they disappeared from Two Streams, Older Amy fading from existence before she could be killed by the Handbot's that she had spent thirty six years fighting. Once they were in the Time Vortex, the Time Lords turned to watch as Rory carefully lifted Amy from the floor and carried her up the console stairs, gently placing her in one of the jump-seats. He tucked the Hatter's jacket a bit more securely over her before he moved to take a seat on the stairs leading up to the upper levels, staring back across to Amy's peaceful face.

"Did you know it would never work?" he asked after a long silence, not looking away from Amy. His tears had dried up now, but his voice still sounded slightly congested, "Saving both Amys?"

The Hatter swallowed and ducked her head guilty as the Doctor placed a comforting hand on her lower back, knowing how difficult this entire thing had been for her. Her word to her was just as important as a promise, "We told you that we would bring Amy safely back to us," she said softly, making him look back over to her as she and the Doctor stood by the console, "We kept our word and now Amy is safely with us once more".

They might have kept their word, but they had stilled lied and deceived and manipulated Rory and Amy today. Even though the Hatter had been forced to concede that they really didn't have any other choice but to lie in order to save their Amy, it still wasn't a good feeling to know what they had done to insure that, to know that they had been forced to betray someone that they cared about to make that happen. It was a bitter sweet ending and one adventure that the Hatter was mostly certainly not proud of.

"Yeah," he agreed slowly, looking back to Amy, "There she is".

Amy started to stir and Rory jumped onto his feet, hurrying over to crouch on the floor beside her chair as her eyes flickered open. The first thing she saw was the Doctor and the Hatter.

The Doctor playfully stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh sleepily. He glanced at the Hatter, reaching out to take her hand, feeling very grateful when she didn't move away from him, "We'll, er, leave you two alone," he nodded to the couple.

"Welcome back, Amy," the Hatter tried to give her a smile, but it didn't quite work as she and the Doctor turned, heading off down the stairs to the lower levels of the TARDIS and disappeared off down the hallway.

"You alright?" Rory's voice carried to them, sounding concerned.

"Mmm," Amy hummed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Where is she?"

Their voices faded as the Time Lords continued walking until they reached far enough away from the console to feel comfortable. The Hatter sighed heavily as she looked at the Doctor, "What an awful day," she said grimly, fixing him with a quick look, "And don't think I'm not still cross with you, mister".

The Doctor winced, shifting slightly on the spot. Still, she was still holding his hand, so he supposed that was a good sign, "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I know I put you in a tricky position…"

"A tricky position?" she cut him off, laughing in disbelief, "What if Rory had asked me to promise him that we could save both Amys, Doctor? Would you have expected me to give him a false promise?"

"Thankfully, it didn't come to that".

"Yes, _thankfully_ ," she narrowed her eyes at him, a hint of sarcasm entering her tone, "Next time, Doctor, you decide without even consulting with me first to go and do something like that, pause to consider the fact that you might just be placing me into a position in which I might have to do something I would find uncomfortable".

"There wasn't time to think…"

"There is always time to think. Thinking is the most important thing that you can do!"

She didn't even give him a chance to try and explain as she dropped his hand and turned on her heel, marching off down the hallway. He watched her go and groaned, closing his eyes tightly. It wasn't very often that they fought and usually any fights that they did have were easily resolved within a matter of minutes, but he could tell already that this wasn't going to be one of those times. He had crossed a line today in placing her in that difficult position and when it came to her promises, she took it very, very seriously. He would give her a few hours to herself before he would go and try to apologise to her again, her emotions were so raw at the moment that he wouldn't dare try to follow her right now in case it only made things worse. Until then, he would have to find a way to get back onto her good side.

 _ **A bit of a emotional day for everything one, I think, and I think the Doctor is going to have to watch a lot of Disney movies to get back on the Hatter's good side again after this. Next chapter, the Doctor's apparently not very brave when confronted with a puppet, the Hatter reveals a slightly more violent side of herself, and the Hatter's not a fan of Furby. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Oh, the Hatter it certainly still affected by the Time War, but she also didn't play the same role in the Time War like the Doctor did, so she's affected differently because of that. She was never a solider or a fighter, she witnessed death and still felt death during the Time War, but she wasn't as involved in that whole side of things like the Doctor was. He was at the front lines, fighting, while she was more behind the scenes and, in a way, it protected her a great deal and kept her shielded from much of the true horror of the War. Plus, you also have to take into account how they both react and tend to express their emotions differently.**_

 _ **The Doctor was, I would have to say, probably far more affected by the Time War, but on a psychological level, while the Hatter was affected more of an emotional level with the loss of her children. Of course, that doesn't mean that they weren't deeply affected in all areas, because they were, but the Doctor would have had more baggage to try and work through then the Hatter did. He was the one who activated the Moment, he was the one who fought, and he was the one who spent a century believing that he was all alone. The Hatter spent five years as a human, dealing with confusing nightmares, and then was awaken as a Time Lady again with the Doctor by her side, so both of their experiences with the Time War and recovering after it are very different to each other.**_

 _ **Sorry, I kind of feel like I just completely went off rambling, but I supposed we'll just have to wait and see exactly how 'The Doctor Falls' is going to play out, I don't even know yet. Aww, thank you, I'm so glad you've enjoyed the stories so far, I still can't quite believe that I'm still writing them today and that people actually seem to like them. I seriously could never have imagined I would have been at this point in my writing when I first started these stories in 2012. Thank you for the review and suggestion, and I apologise again for the mini ramble.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **If the Doctor and the Hatter had been sent to different time periods, such as the 70's/80's for the Doctor and 1890's for the Hatter, I think that the Hatter would probably have spent quite a bit of time annoying poor Max and Alice, since that's the time that they had come from. I can see them being very exasperated with her constantly getting into trouble and arrested, because, come on, the Hatter would have to become a Suffragette if she was stuck in England during the 1890's. She would**_ _ **have**_ _ **to. She would probably spend more time in jail then out of it. Sure, she might hate politics, but she hates being treated any differently because she's a woman even more. The Hatter would, without a doubt, be a massive supporter of the Suffragette movement and she would probably also help out in orphanages and try to teach those kids how to read and write, probably teaching them one of two things that they weren't really supposed to learn about in the era just out of sheer annoyance with the Time Lords for exiling her without the Doctor.**_

 _ **The Hatter forced into exile in the 1890's…the Time Lords would come to very deeply regret their decision to send her to that era, just out of all the trouble she would purposely get herself into and stir up. I actually had quite a bit of fun imagining if this had happened, so thank you. It's tempting to one day write a one-shot about it.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I am beyond excited to see how this whole thing with the First Doctor is going to work out, I mean, does he know that it's his Twelfth regeneration? What is he doing there in the first place? So many questions and I just can't wait to see it all happen. But, another thought, is it really the First Doctor, or just a figment of the Doctor's mind? After all, he is on the very edge of regenerating, could this be his mind trying to push him into regenerating? Or, am I completely wrong and it's really the First Doctor who has just happened to come across one of his future selves? Like I said, so many questions and no doubt theories. I can't wait!**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I don't think that the Hatter's mother would have been very surprised, but she would still have been horrified that her daughter and a daughter of one of the most highly respected and regarded Houses on Gallifrey, would run away and technically become a renegade as a result. She probably would have gone straight into damage control and tried to smooth it all over, promising high ranking officials favours and that sort of thing if they kept the whole thing hushed and didn't hold an enquiry into the whole thing. I imagine that her mother would have gone to great and not entirely legal means in order to try and keep the whole thing quiet, but Time Lords can be such gossips and, eventually, news would have broken out about the Hatter's escape and the High Council would have been forced to admit that, yes, the Hatter had left Gallifrey, but she would still keep her seat on the Council and her titles, due to the small legal loop hole of the Gifted One being the only one who can fill that seat and that Gallifrey legally needs to have a Gifted One to keep political balance. One small legal loop hole is what would have saved the massive scandal and kept the Hatter from being declared a renegade, like the Doctor. The Hatter and her family are all rather good at finding loop holes in things; it's a bit of a family trait.**_


	25. Chapter 25 The God Complex, Part 1

_**The God Complex, Part 1**_

The Doctor looked over the top of the banister of the stairwell, looking down it curiously as the Hatter stood beside him, casting her eyes around the place with a small frown on her face. The TARDIS had unexpectedly decided to take them on a little mystery tour, leaving them all quite surprised when they stepped outside the TARDIS to find that they had landed in what appeared to be an old hotel from the 80's, judging by the frankly terrible floral wall paper and gold and red patterned carpet that covered the floor. It even smelt like an old hotel, like dust and wood.

"'Let's go to the Ravan-Skala,' he says," Amy complained as she joined them by the banister with Rory, looking over the railing, too. The Doctor grinned and nodded along with her, "'The people are six hundred feet tall. You have to talk to them in hot air balloons and the Tourist Information Centre is made of one of their hats,' he says. 'The Hatter almost burst into tears of joy at the sight,' he says," she shook her head as the Hatter looked back across to her, smiling faintly at the memory, "I'm sorry, but I don't see any huge hats and I'm pretty sure if there was one around here, the Hatter would have found it by now".

The Time Lady pointed her finger at her, "You bet I would have," she said very proudly. She wouldn't be much of a Hatter if she couldn't sniff out a hat, let alone a giant one, even if she was currently choosing not to wear her own hat. She just…didn't feel ready to start wearing it again, if she ever would.

"Amy, Beaky…" the Doctor cut in, looking back up to them with a wide smile on his face, like an excited child right before Christmas. The Hatter cleared her throat pointedly at his little nickname for Rory and he paused, glancing back to the brunet with a slightly sheepish look, "I, um, mean Rory…" he corrected himself, not wishing to get on her bad side again. He had just gotten off it after everything that had happened at Two Streams the week before, he really didn't wish to spend another week trying to apologise to her. He fixed his bright smile back onto his face, looking back up to Amy and Rory, "This could be the most exciting thing I have ever seen! Well…" he paused, glancing back to the Hatter with a soft smile, "Actually, let's say it's on the list of most exciting things I've seen".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, amused, knowing perfectly well that he was just trying to get on her good side, "Nice try, sweetheart".

Rory blinked at the Doctor, "You're kidding," he said flatly, looking around the landing, unimpressed.

"How can you be excited about a rubbish hotel on a rubbish bit of Earth?" Amy asked, looking back to the Doctor with a confused frown.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," the Hatter flashed her a quick smile, casting her eyes around the landing once more as she leaned against the banister, "You see, this isn't Earth, Amy, it's been _designed_ to _look_ like Earth".

The Doctor grinned in delight, staring around, "The craftsmanship involved," he remarked excitedly, shaking his head, "Can you imagine?"

"What?" Amy frowned, seeming to finally be taking a bit of interest now, "Then where are we?"

The Hatter pushed off from the banister and skipped down the steps and back down to the next floors landing, the others following close behind her, passing the TARDIS that they had parked surrounded by several potted plants and the walls covered in framed photographs. She glanced at the pictures curiously as she passed, each one containing someone different and seeming to be employees, since they all were wearing the same white dress shirt and a tie.

"We don't know," the Doctor admitted, though he really didn't seem to be the slightest bit concerned about their lack of knowledge, if anything it only seemed to delight him even more. He easily caught up with the Time Lady and took her hand, "Something must have yanked us off course. Look at the detail on that cheese plant!" he suddenly exclaimed, catching sight of one of the potted plants and lightly tugging the Hatter over towards it to take a closer look, reaching out with his free hand to grab one of the leaves and sniffing it.

"Right," Rory said slowly, casting his back a quick look as the Hatter shook her head fondly, "But who would mock up an Earth hotel?"

The Doctor caught sight of a glass bowl sitting on a nearby table full of red apples and eagerly reached into the bowl, plucking one of the fruits out and tossing it into the air before catching it again, "Colonists maybe, recreating a bit of home," he spun back around to face the humans, "Like when ex-pats open English pubs in Majorca," he laughed slightly and lifted the apple up to his mouth, taking a large bite. He had grown a bit fonder of apples since the Hatter had become so obsessed with them during her pregnancy, "No, whoever did this, I am shaking his stroke her hand stroke tentacle," he said around his mouthful of apple as he chewed.

The Hatter made a face at his talking with his mouthful and lightly nudged his side, "Manners, Doctor," she scolded lightly, making him quickly close his mouth. To try and make up for it, he offered the apple to her and she, unable to resist, broke into a small smile and took the fruit, taking a bite herself. She had preferred green apples during her pregnancy, she had like the slight tartness of the green to the sweetness of the red ones, but she enjoyed the fruit regardless.

"Have you seen these?" Rory called over to them, drawing their attention over to him as he moved to peer at the framed photos covering the walls. The Time Lords moved closer to see for themselves, "Look at the labels underneath," he pointed to one the pictures that actually had a Sontaran in it, a small label beneath the picture, "'Commander Halker, defeat…'" he pointed across to another picture, this one of a young human man, "'Tim Heath, having his photo taken…'" he moved on to another picture of a young humanoid woman, "'Lady Silver-Tear…Daleks'".

The Time Lady blinked in alarm and glanced back to the Doctor, seeing the same startled expression mirrored on his face. The Daleks? Well, this certainly had just taken quite a serious turn.

Amy moved to look at the same wall as Rory, "'Paige Barnes, other people's socks,'" she read aloud, ducking down slightly to look at one of the pictures below it, "'Tim Nelson, balloons. Novice Prin, sabrewolves. Royston Luke Gold, Plymouth?'" she frowned slightly in confusion, before moving on to another picture, this one of a young, dark haired woman, "'Lucy Hayward, that brutal gorilla…'" she shook her head and glanced back to the Doctor and the Hatter, "What does it mean?"

The Hatter frowned deeply, feeling quite puzzled over the whole thing. Even the pictures of the people didn't make sense, most of them looked exactly the same with each person looking directly back at the camera with a wide, toothy smile on their faces…well, the humans, anyway. Most of the aliens didn't seem to be smiling, but even still, none of it made sense to her, "I haven't got a clue, Amy," she confessed, feeling a wave of excitement wash over her.

The Doctor simply broke into a wide grin, "Let's find out!" he turned and lightly pulled the Hatter along with him as they took off down the stairs, practically skipping down them as Amy and Rory hurried to catch up to them.

They seemed to have found themselves down on the ground floor, but it was thankfully very easy to find what appeared to be the main desk of the reception. The large room was still following the same 80's hotel theme, only it had painted white bricks on the walls and brown tiles covering the floor. There wasn't anyone in sight as the four of them entered the room, casting their eyes around curiously as the Doctor moved across to the front desk and hit a small bell, trying to call for attention, when three people suddenly came running around the corner towards them, making Amy and Rory shout in surprise as the Time Lords both jumped, moving closer to one another, staring back at the three strangers as the Hatter very nearly choked on her mouthful of apple. One of them, a young Indian woman in a pair of blue hospital scrubs was even brandishing a chair leg at them.

"Blimey, that was a bit quick," the Doctor commented, eyeing the strangers warily as he pattered the Hatter on the back as she rubbed at her throat, her eyes watering slightly from forcing the bit of apple down her throat without completely chewing it.

"Good service here," the Time Lady muttered hoarsely, slipping the apple into her pocket. She really didn't feel like it any more after that.

"We surrender!" a man that was clearly an alien, going by his mole-like appearance cried, waving around a white hanky.

"No, it's okay, we're not…" Rory began, holding up his hands quickly.

"We surrender!"

"…we're nice!" he finished, talking over the top of them as the others all started shouting.

"Shh, it's all right!" the Hatter tried to tell them, speaking soothingly.

"She threatened me with chair leg!" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief, pointing back to the young woman. He looked quickly back to the Hatter, his eyes wide, "Hatter, did you see that?"

The Time Lady sighed slightly, feeling a headache coming on with all the shouting, "Yes, I saw, sweetheart," she nodded.

"Who are you?" the young woman demanded, not lowering her makeshift weapon.

"Oh, God!" a dark haired man, looking as if he was barely out of his teens, gasped out. He stared around the room in horror, "We're back in reception".

"We surrender!" the alien shouted again, still waving his hanky around at them and hiding slightly behind the young woman and man.

"I've never been threatened with a chair leg before!" the Doctor shook his head, looking back to the Hatter with an excited smile.

The Hatter cleared her throat and shifted on the spot, "Um, I do believe I once threatened to hit you with one," she reminded him a little embarrassedly, a faint blush colouring her pale cheeks. Her regeneration at the time did enjoy making rather violent threats when angry…

"Oh, right…" his smile faded slightly, wincing at the memory. He had accidently gotten the two of them arrested and thrown into jail after they had been accused of stealing, though he supposed that it wasn't _really_ stealing if the thing you tried to knick was yours to begin with. Still, the Hatter hadn't been pleased with him, not one bit; her Third regeneration always did have quite the temper on her. She once tried to strangle the Master, he probably ought to have been grateful she hadn't tried to do that to him and only _threatened_ to hit him with a chair leg. He didn't think she would have actually gone through with it…well, he hoped not, anyway. He gave her a small smile and wrapped his arm around her waist, "I sometimes forget how violent your Third regeneration could be when angry," he said fondly. It had always been rather entertaining to watch, well, when it wasn't directed towards him.

"Thankfully, she was mostly all talk," the brunet sighed, feeling her cheeks starting to cool down a bit now. She smiled slightly, glancing back to him with a cheeky glimmer in her eyes, " _Mostly_ ".

Amy looked back and forth between the two of them, rolling her eyes at the fact that, once again, they had managed to become distracted at a time that they really ought to be focused, when something registered in her head and turned back to Rory, "Did you just say, 'It's okay, we're nice?'" she asked, shaking her head at him.

"Okay, I need everyone to shut up now!" the young woman called over the other's, making everyone stop talking and look back to her. She took a step towards them.

"Rita, be careful, yeah?" the young man said hurriedly, looking quite nervous.

Rita hardly seemed to listen to him as she carefully eyed them, moving closer to them, peering into their faces, "Their pupils are dilated," she remarked thoughtfully, holding up a finger, "They're as surprised as we are," she moved back to her own little group, not taking her eyes off them, "Besides, which, if it's a trick, it'll tell us something".

The Hatter blinked slightly in surprise, "Oh, you are quite good," she said approvingly, nodding to her, breaking into a small smile, "I like you, you're clever".

"She is good, isn't she?" the Doctor agreed, glancing back to the Time Lady and back over to Rita, "Amy, with regret, you're fired," he pointed back over to Amy, not seeming to be overly concerned.

"What?" Amy narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm kidding," he flashed her a quick smile and waved a dismissive hand at her, but the moment he had his back turned to her, he looked back to Rita and mimed holding a phone up to his ear, mouthing, 'We'll talk'.

The Hatter struggled to hold back a laugh as she focused on the mole-like alien, raising her eyebrows at him, "Hello, there," she greeted him politely, giving him a little wave, "It's not exactly hard to figure out that you're from Tivoli, given your very obvious pathological compulsion to surrender".

"Yes," the Tivolian confirmed, smiling quite proudly, "The most invaded planet in the galaxy. Our anthem is called, 'Glory To Insert Name Here'".

She nodded, her smile becoming slightly strained, "Oh, yes, very catchy".

"You with the face…" the Doctor turned his attention back to the others, focusing on the young dark haired man.

"Sorry, you are…?" the brunet trailed off expectantly, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh," the man blinked slightly, before adverting his eyes quickly from hers, "I'm Howie".

"Howie," the Doctor nodded to him, "You said you were surprised to be back in reception".

"The walls move," he informed them, still seeming to be finding it difficult to meet their eyes, "Everything changes".

He frowned slightly, not finding the answer specific enough for his liking, "You, clever one…" he looked at Rita, "What's he talking about?"

"The corridors twist and stretch," Rita explained, "Rooms vanish and pop up somewhere else. It's like the hotel's alive".

"Fascinating," the Hatter remarked thoughtfully, before she sighed and pulled a face, the soft music playing in the background really starting to grate on her, "Sorry, would anyone mind if I turned that awful music off?" she didn't even wait for anyone to answer as she walked across to the reception desk, smiling brightly as she found the cassette player that was the source of the music, switching the tape off. She straightened and turned back to the others, sighing in relief now that the horrible, cheerful tune was no longer drifting through the air, "Ah, peace," she said happily.

"Yeah, and it's huge," Howie added, glancing back to Rita before looking at the Time Lords. The Hatter made her way back to the Doctor's side as they listened closely, "With, like, no way out".

"Have you tried the front door?" Rory asked, and pointed over to the set of wooden doors behind him.

"No," Rita said sarcastically, "In two days it never occurred to us to try the front door. Thank God you're here!"

Amy laughed as Rory looked a little embarrassed. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look as he reached into his blazer pocket and retrieved his sonic screwdriver, stepping over to the doors to scan them, before pulling them open to reveal the white brick wall behind it.

"They're not doors, they're walls," he spun back around to look at the others, "Walls that look like doors. Door-walls, if you like, or 'dwells,'" the Hatter eyed him with a faintly amused expression as he caught her eyes, sending her a little wink, "'Woors' even…"

"Ah, sweetheart," the Hatter cut in with a smile, patting his arm fondly, "I think they get the idea," she threw the humans and Tivolian a pointed look.

He followed her gaze to find them all staring at him, looking caught between exasperation, in Amy and Rory's case, and confusion, "Oh, right," he said slowly, giving her a quick smile, "Thank you, dear," he pressed a kiss to her cheek and let go of her, "And the windows are…" he turned and walked over to where a curtain was covering a window, pulling the fabric aside to reveal more of the wall, "Right," he nodded, turning back around, pointing back to the wall with his thumb, "Big day if you're a fan of walls".

"Bad news if you're claustrophobic," the Time Lady commented, glancing at the walls. She was quite grateful this regeneration only had a slight issue with spiders.

"It's not just that," Rita added, drawing their attention back to her, "The rooms have…things in them".

The Hatter raised her eyebrows curiously, "Ooh, things, you say?" she said eagerly.

"Hello!" the Doctor called brightly, growing just as excited, "What kind of things? Interesting things?" he glanced at the Hatter, "We love things, don't we, dear?"

"Things are our specialty," the brunet agreed happily, linking her arm with the Doctor's as they both focused back on Rita, "So, please tell us more about these _things_ ".

Rita hesitated and glanced back to Howie and the Tivolian, before turning back to them, "Bad dreams," she replied.

The Doctor's smile slipped off his face as he exchanged a quick look with the Hatter, who also looked a little unnerved by the response, "Well, that killed the mood," he frowned slightly, looking back to them, eyeing Rita's hospital scrubs curiously, "How did you get here?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, shrugging, "I'd just started my shift. I must have passed out, because suddenly I was here".

"I was blogging," Howie told them, looking down at his shoes, "Next thing, this".

"Oh, I was at work," the Tivolian said with a smile, fiddling with the hanky in his hands, "I'm in Town Planning. We're lining all the highways with trees so invading forces can march in the shade".

"Ah," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded as Amy and Rory smiled politely.

"Which is nice for them".

The Hatter cleared her throat, "Yes, how…kind of you," she agreed, her voice sounding a little higher than normal. She had visited Tivoli once and hadn't stayed very long; she hadn't been able to handle the way that all the locals had practically begged her to enslave their planet. It had been one of the strangest experiences of her life and she had felt very relieved to leave. Actually, now that she thought about it, she was quite surprised that the Master and the Rani hadn't found themselves on Tivoli, the Rani would have had plenty of locals more than happy to be experimented on and the Master…well, he could have had a taste of ruling, probably before he ended up destroying the planet.

"Yeah…" the Doctor said a little awkwardly, before he clapped his hands, "So what have we got?" he raised his eyebrows, looking around at them, getting back on track, "People snatched from their lives and dropped into an endless, shifting maze that looks like a 1980's hotel with bad dreams in the bedrooms," he summarised, picking a Rubik's Cube up from the reception desk and tossing it into the air before he caught it, "Well, apart from anything else, that's just rude".

…

The Doctor and the Hatter made their way back up the stairs to the landing that they had left the TARDIS on, hand in hand, while the others followed close behind them, "We'll pop back to the TARDIS," he remarked cheerfully as they went, "We'll do a planet-wide diagnostic sweep, and then we'll have a sing song".

"I think the sing song's going to have to wait, sweetheart," the Hatter frowned deeply as they came to a sharp stop, looking at the place that they had parked the TARDIS in…only it was gone. The TARDIS had completely vanished. She and the Doctor moved forward into the empty space, the Doctor holding his hands out before him, trying to feel for the time machine in case the old girl had decided to have a little fun with them and turn herself invisible. That was the best case scenery.

"Where's the TARDIS?" Amy asked in alarm, looking quickly to the Time Lords, "You parked it there, didn't you?"

The Time Lady nodded, casting her eyes around the landing, but it was the right place. The same pictures were hanging on the wall and the pottered plants were all correct, "It was definitely parked here," she frowned, starting to grow quite worried now, "And I very specifically remember putting the handbrake on".

"What's a TARDIS?" Howie questioned, confused.

"Our way out," Rory replied, leaning over the banister with a sigh, "And it's gone," he covered his face with his hands.

The Hatter blinked, her head snapping up as she heard the music start up again through the speakers, the soft melody sounding even more creepy now that it had turned on all by its self. She resisted the urge to shiver and glanced at the Doctor to see him frowning, too, hearing the music. Oh, she really did hate it when they found themselves in a creepy house or, in this case, a hotel and things started turning themselves on. This was the reason why humans believed in ghosts.

"Okay…" the Doctor breathed, reaching out to take the Hatter's hand, looking quite unsettled, "This is bad. At the moment, I don't know how bad, but certainly we're three buses, a long walk and eight quid in a taxi from good," he reached up with his free hand and rubbed his forehead worriedly, shooting the brunet beside him a concerned look.

The Time Lady sighed and squeezed his hand comfortingly, looking back to the humans, focusing on Rita, "Are you the only ones here?" she asked.

"Joe," Rita answered, exchanging a quick glance with Howie, "But he's a bit tied up right now".

"Oh?" she looked between Howie and Rita, "Is he in the kitchen or something?" she smiled, "I could do with another little snack, that apple didn't quite cut it".

"No, I mean he's… _tied up_ right now".

The Doctor and the Hatter blinked, looking back at each other, startled.

…

The Doctor slowly pushed the dining room door open and stepped into the large room that had circle tables scattered all around the room, a small raised stage at the front of the room, and even a bar off to the side. The Hatter followed closely behind him, her eyes instantly falling onto the young, well-dressed man that was sitting at one of the tables, tied to the chair with a length of rope around his chest. He didn't look very well, his eyes seemed quite unfocused and he seemed to be muttering quietly to himself, but their attention was quickly diverted from the man by all the ventriloquist dummies that surrounded him, all laughing with their heads bobbing up and down. Suddenly, all the laughter stopped and the dummies heads all turned to watch the Time Lords as they moved further into the room, while Amy, Rory, and the other's slowly entered the room.

The Hatter swallowed and edged a little closer to the Doctor, eyeing the dummies. Okay, so perhaps ventriloquist dummies ought to be added to her list of things this regeneration really didn't like, right along with dolls and Furby, "Now this is just plain creepy," she muttered to the Doctor.

"Don't worry, I'll save you if they attack," he whispered back to her with a playful grin, winking in an attempt to distract her.

She scoffed, "Oh, you mean like last time we were attacked by a puppet and you hid under a table?" she said innocently, raising her eyebrows at him.

He blushed, "That was _one_ time".

"Once is more than enough to prove just how brave you are against a puppet, Doctor, I assure you".

He cleared his throat and quickly looked at Joe, trying to get off the subject of that adventure, "Hello," he greeted the man as he and the Time Lady walked closer to his table, "I'm the Doctor and this is the Hatter…" he gestured to the brunet, who gave the man a little wave.

Joe looked up at them, his eyes still unconfused, "We're going to die here," he told them, sounding quite dazed.

"Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure," he said lightly, making the Hatter smile. He eyed Joe carefully, growing serious, "Is Joe there?" he asked, "Can I have a quick word?" he let go of the Hatter's hand and walked over to one the tables, grabbing two of the chairs and dragging them across to Joe's table, taking a seat on one while the Hatter sat down on the second, instantly taking each other's hands once more.

"Oh, it's still me, Doctor, but I've seen the light. I've lived a blasphemous life, but he has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon…he shall feast".

The Hatter frowned slightly, eyeing him closely, "But you have been here for two days already, why has it taken this long for this…'him' to feast?" she questioned.

"We weren't ready. We were still raw".

"But now you're what, cooked?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, glancing back at the Hatter.

"If you like," Joe replied, smiling faintly as the Hatter's eyes fell on his tie clip that had a small horseshoe on the metal work and then down to his cufflinks that were in the shape of dice. Interesting, so he was a gambler, then. She wondered if that meant anything important, possibly, but right now she couldn't figure out the significance. She glanced at the Doctor to see that he had noticed the same thing that she had, "Soon you will be, too," he continued, "Both of you. Be patient. First, find your rooms".

"Rooms?" the Hatter repeated slowly, frowning, "We both have rooms?"

"There's a room here for everyone, Hatter," he smiled, "Even you two".

The Doctor frowned, not feeling overly comfortable with all this talk about rooms and death, "You said you'd seen the light now," he commented, trying to change the subject.

"Nothing else matters anymore. Only him. It's like these things," he nodded to the dummies surrounding them, "I used to hate them! They make me laugh now," he looked back to the Time Lords and manically laughed, "Gottle o' geer! Gottle o' geer!" he laughed again, looking around at the dummies as they joined in with him. The Doctor and the Hatter glanced around warily as Joe grew a bit more serious, "You should go," he told them, smiling widely, "He'll be here soon".

The Doctor gave him a small smile and stood, walking over to the bar and ducking behind it, reappearing a moment later with a hand dolly that he slide beneath Joe's chair, "I think you should come with us," he said as the Hatter rose from her own chair.

….

The Hatter sighed as she sat on top of the reception desk, her legs dangling over the edge of the desk. She leaned over into the office area and switched the music off again before straightening to look back to the Doctor as he stood by the wall nearest to her, Amy, Rory, and Rita leaning against the desk while Howie and the Tivolian were in the office area with Joe, who was still firmly tied to his chair.

"Why you four?" the Doctor asked aloud, eyeing the four that had originally been taken, "That's what I don't understand, aside from all the other things I don't understand," he sighed, shaking his head, "Hatter, ideas?" he looked hopefully to her.

The Time Lady glanced back to the four for a moment, "I don't know either, sweetheart," she admitted grimly, meeting his eyes, "And I really, _really_ don't like not knowing".

"What does it matter?" the Tivolian looked around at them all, shrugging, "Sooner or later, someone will come along and rescue us…" he paused, considering it, "Or enslave us".

Amy and Rory stared back at him as the Hatter sighed, reaching up to rub her forehead.

The Doctor shook his head, deciding it probably be a wise idea to cut in, "First, we find the TARDIS," he said, tapping his hands against the surface of the desk.

"And as soon as possible," the Hatter agreed, very much wishing that they could leave this very strange hotel. It was strange, she didn't usually find places like this creepy, but the idea of there being rooms for them somewhere with bad dreams inside them was very unsettling for her to think of. She had enough bad dreams in her life as it was; she really didn't wish to revisit any today.

He reached over and took her hand, giving her a comforting look, knowing that she was finding this whole adventure far from fun today. He couldn't say he was overly pleased being stuck inside the hotel himself, "Quick thing before we go," he paused, looking very seriously back around at the humans and the Tivolian, "If you feel drawn to a particular room, do not go in, and make sure someone else can see you at all times".

"Joe said, 'He will feast,'" Rita said quietly, looking a little afraid, "Is there something here with us?"

Joe laughed manically, as if someone had just told a brilliant joke, making everyone look over to him.

The Hatter raised her eyebrows, "Would you like to tell us something, Joe?" she said calmly, "Perhaps what you seem to find so amusing would be a good start. Goodness knows I could use a good laugh right about now…"

"'Here comes a candle to light you to bed,'" Joe recited, looking around at each other them, "'Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop…'" he looked directly at Howie.

"Can we do something about him?" Howie exclaimed, waving his hands around at Joe as the man started laughing again.

The Hatter reached into her pocket, pulling a roll of duct tape as the other's blinked at her, even the Doctor was looking a little surprised. She smiled faintly, her eyes dancing cheekily as she pulled a stripe of tape, "Shall we?" she paused, glancing at the Doctor, "Ooh, I think I enjoyed that a little too much".

The Doctor coughed, his cheeks a little pink, "I know I did," he muttered, dragging his eyes off her.

…

The Doctor and the Hatter walked down the hallway of one of the hotel's floors, looking around curiously as they went, while the Tivolian pushed Joe along behind them with the hand dolly, a piece of tape covering the man's mouth. Rita, Rory, Amy, and Howie followed close behind them, heading off down another hallway as the Hatter was forced to grab the Doctor's arm, tugging him back down the corridor after the others as she realised that he hadn't noticed the other's not following.

"Personally, I think you've got the right idea," the Tivolian said to Joe, leaning down slightly to speak to him, still pushing him along, "Times like this, I think of my old school motto, 'Resistance Is Exhausting'".

Amy made a noise at the back of her throat as she overhead the alien and shook her head, glancing back over to the Time Lords. The Hatter sighed, giving her a small smile before she glanced back behind her to where Rory and Howie were lagging behind slightly.

"I've worked out where we are," Howie was saying eagerly to Rory, his eyes looked bright with excitement and he was even managing to look at Rory's face.

"Hmm?" Rory hummed, looking across to him.

"Norway".

The Hatter blinked, "Norway?" she repeated, unable to stop herself from cutting in.

Howie's head snapped over to her, looking startled that she had been listening, but it didn't seem to deter him for long, though he once again seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes, "You see, the US government has entire cities hidden in the Norwegian mountains," he told them quickly, looking completely sure of himself, "You see, Earth is on a collision course with this other planet, and this is where they're going to send all the rich people when it kicks off".

"Amazing," Rory remarked, staring back at the younger man as the Hatter tried hard not to laugh out loud, settling for smiling faintly in amusement.

"It's all there on the internet," he nodded, before nervously checking over his shoulder.

"No, it's amazing you've come up with a theory even more insane than what's actually happening".

"Actually, Rory," the Hatter cut in with a small scolding look in Rory's direction, "It's not so farfetched, just…not quite correct this time," she said with a kind smile to Howie.

Suddenly, the door of Room One Hundred and Eight opened just as the Doctor was walking past it and a tall man stepped out into his path, making him stop, dressed in a white singlet and shorts with a whistle hanging around his neck. From within the room, the sound of school bell ringing could be heard.

The Doctor stared at the man, slightly confused as he quickly looked back to the Hatter, who could only shrug, just as clueless as him, "Hello," he greeted the man carefully.

"Have you forgotten your PE kit _again_?" the man looked the Doctor up and down, narrowing his eyes. Everyone stopped and turned back to watch, "Right, that's it, you're doing it in your pants!" he turned and stormed back into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

The Hatter moved to the Doctor's side, placing a hand on his arm as he looked a little shocked, "Are you…" she trailed off as she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, "No, don't!" she cried, whipping back around as Howie reached out to open one of the doors.

She and the Doctor ran over to him, trying to reach him and push him out of the way, but they weren't fast enough. Howie had already twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, staring inside. The Time Lords came to a skidding halt beside the young man, looking back into the room to see a group of young girls gathered inside the room, each quite pretty and dressed as if they might have been at a party. The girls looked over to them and broke into giggles.

"Oh, look, girls," one of the girls, a pretty blonde called over the laughter, "It's H-H-H-Howie!" she mocked, making the others laugh even harder.

"What's loser in K-K-K-Klingon?" another with dark hair asked mockingly.

Howie stumbled back with a gasp, ducking his head, "Shut the d-d-d…the door!" he stuttered out, pointing a shaking finger back towards the door, and the Doctor quickly closed it as the Hatter looked at the young man sadly, feeling her hearts going out to him. She knew how awful it was to be bullied, it was one of the cruellest and crippling things that someone could go through, "This is just some m-m-messed up CIA stuff," he said firmly, shaking his head as he looked down at his shoes, "I'm…I'm telling you".

The Doctor nodded reassuringly and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, "You're right, keep telling yourself that," he exchanged a look with the Hatter as he gently guided Howie away from the door and down the hallway, patting his chest, "It's a CIA thing, nothing more".

"I think you are being very brave, Howie," the Hatter told him sincerely, linking her arm through his and flashing him a comforting smile. Howie's head snapped around to her, startled, "I mean, even I'm finding this place quite creepy," she continued cheerfully, "And I do this sort of thing all the time".

"Y-you do?"

"Oh, yes. Not many people would be able to handle all of this like you are".

He smiled very slightly and ducked his head, seeming to gain a little bit of his confidence back. The Hatter looked over Howie's head to meet the Doctor's eyes to find him smiling softly at her. She shook her head and looked away, though she couldn't stop the faint blush from covering her cheeks.

….

They continued making their way through the hallways, making their way up the stairs to the next floor above and heading off down another hallway. The Doctor ran his hand against the wallpapered wall as they went, flicking one of the light sconces while the Hatter walked backwards and cast her eyes around, when she looked up at the ceiling to see that a low beam that she had just stepped beneath had three strips of plaster that had been scraped off repeatedly, by the look of it. She frowned and reached up, grateful for her long legs, and lightly touched her fingertips against the strips.

"Doctor," she called as she lowered her hand and eyed the dust covering her fingertips. The Doctor was instantly by her side, looking closely up at the strips on the beam.

"Hmm, interesting," he said quietly, glancing back to her as she nodded, wiping the dust off her hands and onto her skirt, not caring if it left very noticeable white marks.

Amy walked a few steps on from them and frowned, crutching down to pick up a few pieces of paper that she had found lying on the floor.

"Er…guys?" Rory said from where he had paused to tie his shoelaces up, looking up to see a door that said 'Fire Exit' on it.

Amy climbed back onto her feet, staring down at the paper, seeing it covered in scribbled writing, "Look…" she moved closer to the Doctor and the Hatter, drawing their attention to her, when a loud animalistic growl suddenly echoed down the hallway, making their eyes widen and their heads snap in the direction. Behind them, Joe began straining against the ropes binding him, "Okay," she stared off down the hallway, "Whatever that is, it's not real, yeah?"

"No," the Doctor breathed, reaching out to grab the Hatter's hand, holding it tightly as they took a small step back, "No, I'm sure it isn't, but just in case, let's run away and hide anyway…" his speech grew faster as the Hatter reached out to grab Amy's hand, both looking around hurriedly for somewhere they might be able to hide. They couldn't try running back the way they came, the…thing, whatever it was, would surely be able to see them trying to run and take chase…assuming it had legs or eyes, of course. His eyes landed on a nearby door and, without pausing to consider what might be waiting behind it, he darted over to it, "In here," he said quickly, pulling the Time Lady, who in turn tugged Amy along, too.

The three of them dashed over to the doorway, Howie and the Tivolian following right on their heels and into the room, leaving Rita to wheel Joe into another room just across the hallway.

"No, this way!" Rory called as he turned slightly away from the apparent Fire Exit to see them all darting off into the rooms, making no move to follow them. He frowned, "I've found…" he trailed off as he turned back to face the Fire Exit, only to find that the door had disappeared, Room Two Hundred and Nine in its place.

The Hatter lightly pushed Amy into the room as she and the Doctor paused outside, looking back down the hallway to where Rory was slowly backing away from a door, staring at it, "Oh, honestly, Rory," she shook her head at him, letting go of the Doctor's hand to hurry over to Rory, "This is _not_ the time to be admiring doors," she grabbed his arm as she reached him, trying to usher him over towards the still open door that Amy, Howie and the Tivolian had gone through.

Rory blinkered slowly in confusion as he let her lead him away, pointing back to Room Two Hundred and Nine's door, "There was a…"

"Yes, _later_ ," she quickly cut him off, her voice firm as she cast the hallway ahead of them a slightly nervous look, half expecting to hear the footsteps…or whatever this thing had to move about on, approaching them, "We have slightly more pressing concerns right now, Rory".

He nodded and sighed, throwing the mysterious door one last look before he and the Hatter hurried over towards the open door, the Doctor moving aside to let them in first before following himself, running inside…only to come to a screeching halt behind Amy and Howie. The Hatter made a funny noise in her throat, like a strangled yelp of alarm, which drew the Doctor's attention, just as he finished slamming the door shut.

"Ahhh!" the Doctor shouted in fright, very nearly jumping back into the wallpapered wall behind him as he came face to face with two Weeping Angel's, one with its mouth open and it's sharp teeth on display, while the other had its hands innocently covering its eyes.

"Don't…blink," Amy told them quietly, her eyes steadily fixed on the Angel's, not blinking.

Howie looked at her in confusion, "What?"

The lights began flickering in around the room and the Hatter swallowed hard, reaching out to grab the Doctor's hand as the Angel's began moving towards them through the snippets of darkness, but there was something not quite right about their movements. She frowned as she narrowed her eyes at them, taking note of how they had moved their arms so that they were now reaching out towards them and yet, they hadn't moved to actually _touch_ them yet. They had plenty of time to move across the room and attack them, but they hadn't. It was like they were just trying to scare them, make them believe they were going to attack.

"Amy, get back," the Doctor said worriedly, reaching out to pull Amy closer to the wall that he and the Hatter had their backs pressed against, Rory and Howie quickly moving to do the same thing. He edged closer to the Hatter, trying to shield her, but she shook her head sharply and moved away before he could, "Hatter!" he frantically tried to grab her arm to pull her back towards the wall, but she simply stepped out of reach, eyeing the Angel's closely.

Still, they made no move to try and attack them. None at all.

"This isn't right," the Hatter remarked, frowning deeply as she glanced back to the others, "They've had all the time they would need to get us and yet, we're still here, alive and unharmed," she turned back to the Angel's, making the them blink at her words, the Doctor dragging his eyes off her back to also eye the Angel's thoughtfully, "This isn't normal behaviour for the Wheeping Angels".

"No," he agreed slowly, taking a step forward until he was level with her, his eyes still fixed on the Angel's, who hadn't made any further attempt to move, despite the flickering lights, "It isn't, is it?" he cautiously reached out his hand and touched one of the Angel's chests with his finger, his eyes widening in realisation, "They're not real," he spun back around to the others, Amy still staring at the Angel's, "Amy, they're not real".

"What?" Amy gasped, still refusing to look away or blink.

The Hatter moved to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Amy, listen to me," she moved to stand in front of her, forcing her to look away from the Angel's, "Those are not Angel's," she gestured back over to the so called Angel's, "They're fake, if they weren't then we would be dead or displaced in time by now".

The Doctor stepped over to them, giving Amy a gentle smile as she blinked slowly, still looking quite fearful, shooting the Angel's a wary look over the Hatter's shoulder, "It's just your bad dream, Amy," he assured her comfortingly, "That's all".

Rory frowned slightly, "I don't think they're for us," he commented quietly, shooting his wife a quick look, before looking passed her to where the Tivolian was hiding in the large wooden wardrobe, peeking out through the door to the Angel's, his eyes wide with terror. There was a loud roar from outside the room and the alien screamed, slamming the wardrobe door closed.

The Hatter jumped slightly, both from the strange roar and the door being slammed so suddenly, glancing warily at the Doctor. She really, really didn't like this, being stuck inside one of these rooms while a mysterious… _thing_ lurked outside the door. She met the Doctor's eyes and knew without needing to ask what he was planning to do, giving him a small nod, silently telling him to be careful. He smiled faintly, reaching out to lightly touch her arm before letting her go and moving across to the room's door.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Amy whispered, watching him near the door.

"I'm sorry, I just have to see what it is," the Doctor said softly, glancing at her, his eyes flickering over to the Hatter. She smiled and nodded to him again, understanding perfectly well that sometimes, you had to take a risk in order to get results and they needed to figure out what was going on here if they had any chance of escaping. He returned her smile and even winked, before turning back to the door and bracing his hands against the surface of the door, leaning in to peer through the peephole, "Oh, look at you…" he said after a moment as the Hatter looked down to see a shadow move across the gap between the door and the floor, "Oh, you are beautiful".

"What can you see?" the Hatter asked, her voice low as she moved to stand beside her, glancing from him to the door curiously.

"It looks like a Minotaur," he told her, when he suddenly jumped back, just before something banged heavily against the other side of the door. The rest of the group flinched, too, staring back worriedly at the door. He glanced back at the door, slightly nervously before looking back to the Hatter, who was half expecting the door to be smashed in at any moment, "Oh, dear…"

A tense moment of silence fell over the room, the only sound coming from the low growling noise coming from the other side of the door. The Hatter swallowed and took a step closer to the door, carefully peering out through the peephole to see that the Doctor's description of the creature was quite accurate. It was very similar to a Minotaur with thick skin and a very large head, tufts of white hair covering what little she could see of it. It seemed to be quite tall and she imagined very strong, but even as she waited for it to smash the door down, it didn't. It did seem, however, to be intelligent enough to know that something was behind the door; otherwise it would have moved on by now. Was it perhaps trying to study them? Or just simply waiting for them to come out?

"Hatter…"

"Shh," she quickly hushed the Doctor, waving a hand back to him, not taking her eyes off the peephole. Suddenly, the door just up the hallway sprung open and Joe half stumbled out, twirling around clumsily on the spot to face the creature. Her eyes widened, "Oh no, Joe's managed to get free!" she hissed to the others, her concern only growing as she noticed the creature turn in Joe's direction, "Oh, this is very, very not good. I think it's going after Joe now…"

"Come on, come to me!" Joe's voice rang out from behind the doorway, "Come to me…" he suddenly broke off with a scream.

The Hatter grabbed the doorhandle and went to turn it, but the Doctor's hand covered hers, stopping her just in time. He gave her a sharp look as she responded with a deep frown, about to make a comment about his protectiveness while a man was in danger, when the sound of Joe's scream suddenly stopped. In fact, even the growling noise had faded now. They both blinked slightly and the Doctor gently pulled the Hatter's hand away from the handle, replacing it with his own as he made sure to place himself in front of her as he opened the door and looked quickly up and down the hallway, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Joe's shoes disappearing around a corner at the end of the hallway, being dragged along.

"Leave him alone!" the Doctor shouted, taking off down the hallway after the creature and Joe, the Hatter running right beside him. They sprinted down the hallway, only to find it empty, but it didn't deter them as they took off down another hallway and another and another, finding themselves back in the stairwell, but there was still no sign of either the creature or Joe.

"How big _is_ this place?" the Hatter wondered aloud, shaking her head as she moved to peer over the stairs railing, "Joe!" she called down, unable to see anything. She turned her attention up to the upper floors, "Joe! Where are you?"

The Doctor sighed heavily, his expression growing grim. This really wasn't looking good for Joe, not good at all. He reached out and took her hand, turning and running up the stairs to the next level, finding themselves once again running through what felt like an endless maze of hallways with doorways leading off it. They even split off at one point, be it slightly reluctantly, both heading off in different directions as they continued desperately searching for any sign of Joe.

"Joe!" the Time Lady called loudly as she jogged along her hallway, when she stopped in the middle of a hallway, catching sight of something shinny lying on the floor. She frowned and bent down, looking at the small cufflink in her hand in the shape of a dice. That was Joe's; she remembered seeing him wearing it when they had first met him. She straightened, just as the Doctor appeared from the other end of the hallway, hurrying to her side, "Look, I just found this," she held it out to him.

The Doctor reached out to take it, eyeing it before he looked back up to her, only to pause, his eyes moving to rest on something over her shoulder, "Joe?" he said, making her blink and turn to see Joe kneeling on the floor a short distance away from them, propped up against the wall, facing away from them, "Jo!" he repeated, louder as they moved towards him, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "Joe," he crouched down beside him, grabbing his face and turning it towards him, "Joe, what happened?"

"Doctor…." The Hatter swallowed, staring at Joe's pale face, his expression completely blank and his eyes unblinking. She knelt beside the Doctor, resting her hand on his arm as she looked sadly back to Joe, "We're too late. He's gone".

Joe was dead.

…

Joe's body had been moved to rest on the stage in the dining room, half covered by a white sheet while all the dummies had been removed from around the room, no longer laughing, and placed in two neat rows beside his body. The Doctor stood above his body, scanning it with his sonic screwdriver as the Hatter watched with a sad expression on her face from beside him. She sighed and shook her head, glancing back over her shoulder to the rest of the room, her eyes lingering on where Amy was sitting on the bar, rather quiet since they had all gathered in the room, while Rita stepped back into the room from a side room, carrying a tray that was covered with tea cups and a teapot. The Tivolian was sitting at a table near Amy, staring at the table top and Rory was helping Howie move tables and chairs around the room, the two seeming to have become quite close.

"If we can wedge a chair under the door handles, that should stop anything from getting in," Howie was saying to Rory as they wheeled a round table top across the floor, passing by the front of the stage, heading across the room to one of the doorways.

"Help yourself to tea," Rita told Amy as she walked by her, but Amy simply smiled polity and made no move to take a cup, toying with her fingers in her lap. The Hatter eyed her in concern, knowing that she was likely dwelling on the idea of a room being out there for her, she understood how she felt. She was quite uneasy about it herself. Rita moved passed her, heading over to where the boys were busy trying to block off one of the doors, "Guys, tea over here," she announced to the rest of the room, placing the tray on one of the tables.

The Hatter pulled her eyes off Amy, who was now looking at the Tivolian, and glanced at the Doctor, "I'll be right back, sweetheart," she said quietly, reaching out to lightly touch his arm as he nodded slightly distractedly, looking down at Joe's body. She stepped down off the stage and made her way over towards Amy and the Tivolian, pausing a short distance away from them to pretend to be looking at a small menus that had been left lying on one of the tables. Out of the corner of her eyes, she observed Amy and the Tivolian. She was a little curious to see what Amy might do or say and, well, if need be she could step in and try and comfort them both, since they were both clearly quite shaken by everything. Still, she was interested to see what Amy might have learnt after all this time travelling the Universe with her and the Doctor, comforting someone when you yourself were in distress was very, very hard thing to do.

"If it's any consolation," Amy began after a moment, looking over to the Tivolian, "I've met the Weeping Angel's, so I know how…" she trailed off, looking down at her hands briefly before looking back across to him, "In fact, I thought that room was for me".

"Joe was right," the Tivolian muttered, shifting in his chair, not looking back to Amy. He took a deep breath, "Whatever it is here, it actually wants to kill us. Not oppress us or enslave us, _kill_ us!"

The Hatter winced slightly, feeling quite sorry for him, when Amy slipped off the bar and moved towards his table, "Okay, listen…" she sat down in the chair beside him, "The Doctor and the Hatter's been part of my life for so long now, and they've never let me down. Even when I thought they had, when I was a kid and they left me, they came _back_. They…saved me…" she laughed slightly embarrassedly, her eyes flickering up to meet the Hatter's and a blush creeping across her face, realising that she had heard her. The Hatter gave her a gentle smile, making her return her smile and turn back to the alien, her expression growing even more confident, "And now they're going to save _you_ ," she looked away again, frowning slightly as something occurred to her, "But don't tell the Doctor I said that, because the smugness would be terrifying".

"She's not kidding, either," the Hatter added, her smile widening slightly as she noticed the Tivolian jump and his head snap around to look at her, clearly having not realised she was standing right there. She leaned closer towards them, lowering her voice, as if she was about to tell them a big secret, "Between you and me, he has enough trouble finding a hat to fit his big head already, there's no need to inflate it even more. For my sake, if not anyone else's, please".

Amy laughed, holding up her hand to high five her, which the Time Lady was more than happy to do as she grinned and shot the Doctor a quick look over her shoulder, finding him still standing on the stage, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at her. She winked and playfully blew him a little kiss, earning a fond eye roll before he turned away. What he didn't know really wouldn't hurt him.

"Of course," the Tivolian remarked casually, just as Amy stood from her chair. He turned slightly in his chair to look directly at her, "If the Weeping Angel's were meant for me, then your room is still out there…somewhere," he gave her a chilling little smirk.

The Hatter frowned at him, seeing straight through him as Amy tensed, looking quite uncomfortable, "Well, I suppose we'll just have to find t together," she said calmly, not taking her eyes off the alien before she suddenly broke into a wide smile, glancing at Amy, "After all, my room's also out there. We'll just have to stick together, like always".

Amy relaxed slightly, giving her a slightly grateful smile as the Hatter nodded to her, before turning on her heel and heading back over to the Doctor, her smile fading as she turned her back, leaving Amy in Rory's hands. Yes, she was going to keep an eye on that Tivolian, he seemed to enjoy trying to upset Amy like that. It really didn't bode well with her. She stepped back up onto the stage beside the Doctor, who was sitting on a small speaker unit, giving him a reassuring smile as he raised his eyebrows up at her, but she decided not to bother telling him about her concerns for the time being. They had more pressing concerns, she supposed, poor Joe was proof of how serious this whole thing was. People were dying; they needed to focus on that right now.

Joe's body had been covered completely by the sheet now, much to her relief, the Doctor looking down at it grimly, just as Rita approached them the tea tray, "Tea?" she asked them, offering the tray out towards them.

The Hatter's eyes brightened, "Ooh, lovely," she said happily, eagerly taking one of the cups and lightly moving to gently blow on the surface of the hot liquid, "Thank you, Rita".

"Thank you," the Doctor nodded to her, giving her a small smile as he reached out to take the second cup, not bothering to try and cool it before taking a sip. He pulled a face and stuck his tongue out, "Ouch, hot".

"He does this every single time," the Time Lady shook her head, rolling her eyes as she glanced back up to Rita, who was watching with faint amusement, "Honestly, it's amazing he can taste anything the amount of times he burns his tongue simply due to having the patients of a three year old".

"I am a very patient person!"

"In what Universe? This one, or the one in which you're a tango dancer?"

"A tango dancer?" he blinked, staring at her, highly amused, "Where did you get _that_ from?"

She shrugged, trying to act indifferent, but the blush crossing her cheeks ruined the effect, "It just…popped into my head".

"Ah. Yes, that would explain it…ow!" he yelped, grabbing at his arm and the spot she had just whacked, rubbing it, very nearly dropping his cup in the process.

"That'll teach you," she sniffed haughtily, taking a sip from her teacup.

Rita cleared her throat slightly awkwardly, though she did look faintly amused by their antics. Her amusement faded, however, as her eyes landed on the covered body sitting before them, "What _exactly_ happened to him?" she asked, gesturing down to Joe's body.

Instantly, the Time Lords lost their smiles and grew serious, any trace of humour from before disappearing. The Hatter winced very slightly, casting the covered body a slightly apologetic look. It really wasn't the time to be bantering with one another, nor the place.

"He died," the Doctor told her grimly.

Rita eyed him closely, "You are a _medical_ doctor, aren't you?" she said, raising her eyebrows at him, "You haven't just got a degree in cheese-making or something".

"No!"

"Well…" the Hatter said slowly, making his head snap back around to her. She smiled faintly, focusing on Rita, "Technically, _I'm_ the one with the proper medical degree".

"I have a medical degree!" he insisted quickly, before pausing, ducking his head. He might not have gotten his degree on Gallifrey, but he had later on, "And, well, yes, one in cheese-making too…" he cleared his throat and glanced back to the body, "But what I mean is, there is no cause. All his vital organs simply stopped, as if the simple spark of life, his loves and hates, his faiths and fears were just…" he lifted his teacup back up towards his mouth, sniffing it, "Taken…and this is a cup of tea".

The Time Lady sighed, rolling her eyes at him, "See what I mean about his taste?" she shook her head, taking a small sip from her own cup.

Rita smiled slightly, turning back to the Doctor, "Of course, I'm British, it's how we cope with trauma," her smile widened, "That and tutting".

The Hatter laughed, lowering her cup, "And you managed to find everything to make tea here?" she said curiously.

"All hotels should have a well stocked kitchen, even alien fake ones," the Doctor's eyebrows rose, surprised, "I heard you talking when you arrived. Look, it's no more ridiculous than Howie's CIA theory, or mi…mine".

"Which is?" the Doctor questioned, looking at her expectantly.

"This is Jahannam".

"You're a Muslim!" he realised, his eyes lighting up as the Hatter broke into wide smile.

"Don't be frightened," she joked a little awkwardly.

"Of course not," the Hatter shook her head, her smile not dimming in the slightest. She cast her eyes around the room thoughtfully, considering her theory. It was an interesting one, certainly, but she didn't think that this was completely correct, "So you think that we're in Hell?" she looked back to Rita.

"The whole '80s hotel thing took me by surprise, though," Rita admitted, gesturing around the room.

The Doctor stood from the speaker, looking out over the rest of the room, "And all those fears and phobias wandering about, most are completely unconnected to us, so why are they still here?" he wondered, holding up a finger as he looked between Rita and the Hatter.

Rita looked thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe the cleaners have gone on strike".

"Ha!" he laughed, exchanging an amused look with the Time Lady, who was struggling to hold back a grin. He glanced back to Rita, "I like you, you're a right clever clogs".

"Not to mention your sense of humour," the Hatter added, lightly nudging Rita's side with an approving expression crossing her face, "Being able to find humour, even in the unknown, is a very good ability to have, but this isn't Hell, Rita," she sighed slightly, looking back over the room with a small frown, "We're not entirely sure what it is yet, but I assure you that it's not Hell…well, perhaps not in the traditional sense".

"You don't understand," Rita shook her head, "I say that without fear. Jahannam will play its tricks, and there'll be times when I want to run and scream, but I've tried to live a good life, and that knowledge keeps me sane, despite the monsters and the bonkers rooms," the Hatter raised her eyebrows, eyeing her closely. She was very calm about the whole thing, perhaps a little worryingly so, "Gibbis…" she began, her eyes resting on the Tivolian, glancing at the Doctor as he began gargling his tea, quickly swallowing at the scolding look the Time Lady shot him and giving Rita a slightly sheepish smile, "Is…is an alien, isn't he?" she went on, ignoring his antics.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, following her gaze over to the alien, "Sorry".

"Okay…" she said slowly, still looking very calm, all things considered. The Hatter frowned very slightly, eyeing her carefully, "I'm going to file that under 'Freak Out About Later'".

"Probably wise," the Hatter commented lightly, still watching her out of the corner of her eye.

"Doctor, Hatter," Amy called, walking across the room towards them, frowning down at her hands that were holding a couple of pieces of paper, "Look at this," she looked up to them as the Time Lords stepped down from the stage, approaching her, "I found it in a corridor, I completely forgot I had it".

The Doctor reached out to take the pieces of paper as she held them out to them, giving her a mock angry look and lightly smacking her forehead with the paper. She smiled slightly, knowing that it was all done in jest, moving to lean her back against a nearby table to watch as he unfolded the paper between himself the Hatter.

"Er…" he cleared his throat, preparing to read aloud to the rest of the room, reaching up to scratch the top of his head, "'My name is Lucy Hayward and I'm the last one left. It took Luke first. Got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived,'" the Hatter frowned slightly, wondering if there was any reason for why some people were taken sooner than others. There surely had to be one, these things were never just random, "'It's funny. You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realise it could never have been anything else. I saw mine. It was a gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My God, that thing used to terrify me,'" he frowned as he flipped over to the next piece of paper, while Amy and Rory listened closely, "'The gaps between my worship are getting shorter, like contractions. This is what happened to the others…and how lucky they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him,'" he looked up from the paper, his eyes meeting the Hatter's eyes, "'Praise him'".

"Praise him," Howie said casually, so much so that for a moment no one even reacted, until it hit them just what he had said, everyone turning in his direction as he sat at one of the tables, straightening the silver wear. He froze, too, feeling everyone's eyes on him.

The Hatter took a small step towards him, feeling her hearts beat a bit faster, but she tried very hard to keep the concern she was feeling from appearing on her face, "I'm sorry, but what was that, Howie?" she asked, trying to seem polity interested.

Howie's head snapped around to them, his eyes wide, "Nothing," he told them quickly before he closed his mouth, looking as if he was struggling with something for a moment, almost as if it pained him, when…, "Praise him!" he suddenly burst out, clapping his hands over his mouth.

"This is what happened to Joe!" the Tivolian cried fearfully, leaping out of his chair and moving to hide behind Rita.

Howie clumsily climbed onto his feet as everyone began talking at once, "God, it's going to come for me now!" he gasped, panicking.

"You'll lead him right here," Gibbis called over the others, waving his white handkerchief around.

"We won't leave you," the Doctor assured Howie as he and the Hatter moved towards him, speaking over everyone else, "We…I promise you. You have my word".

"And mine," the Hatter said firmly, shooting the Doctor a quick, grateful look. She was pleased to see that he had learnt his lesson and wasn't just assuming that she would agree with giving away her word, even if she would never think not to in a situation like this. She reached out her hand to grasp Howie's arm, giving him a comforting look, "We promise you, Howie, you won't be alone and we'll do everything we possibly can to help you, and I always keep my promises".

"I don't want to get eaten!"

"Calm down," Amy told him, seeing Howie getting worked up, while the Time Lords tried soothing him.

"He's going to lead the creature right here!" Gibbis exclaimed again, pointing down at the floor, looking almost beside himself with fear. He seemed to be handling everything even worse than poor Howie was.

"Yes, thank you," the Hatter sighed heavily, throwing the alien a sharp look over her shoulder, not in the slightest bit impressed. She understood that they were all under a great deal of stress and that it was very easily to fall into the trap of panicking right now, but adding to that panic was only going to make things worse. Plus, all the shouting was giving her a headache and making it hard to try and focus on Howie, which, at this point, was who they really ought to be focusing on.

The Doctor grimaced as all the shouting continued, seeming to only be rising as the panic and hysteria grew, so he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, raising it above his head, activating it. A horrible, high-pitched squeal sounded through the speakers around the room, making everyone stop shouting and cover their ears, cringing. The Hatter, her eyes narrowed and her hands covering her ears, lightly kicked his shoe with pained grimace on her face after a moment, making him quickly stop, lowering the sonic as relieved silence filling the room.

"Thank you," he nodded to them all, tucking the sonic back inside his blazer pocket as the Hatter, still wincing slightly, rubbed at her left ear, "Sorry, dear," he flashed her an apologetic smile and reached out to take her free hand, knowing that given Time Lords more sensitive hearing, they both would be feeling the after effects much worse than the humans or even Gibbis would be. His ears were still ringing painfully, but he tried hard to ignore it, needing to focus.

"Don't you see?" Gibbis started again almost at once, still looking quite panicked, "He'll lead it right here!"

"What do you suggest?" Rita asked, turning on him.

Gibbis sighed, looking resigned, but the Hatter couldn't help narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course," he said, holding out a hand towards Howie, "Now, tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment…" the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a sharp look, "I'm saying, if it were…find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go," he caught sight of the Doctor and the Hatter's frowns, groaning, "All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed. Is that too much to ask?" he huffed, moving to sit back down in his seat.

"It's okay, I'll stay with Howie," Rita spoke up, looking at the Time Lords, seeming to be very calm about the whole thing, "You two take the others and go".

"No," the Hatter shook her head, her voice firm, "The only way we will ever have any chance at getting out of this, will be to stick together," her eyes landed on Gibbis, her expression growing harder, " _All_ of us".

The Doctor nodded along with her and let go of her hand, walking over towards Gibbis, leaning down towards the alien as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "Your civilisation is one of the oldest in the galaxy," he said quietly to him, so softly that only the Hatter was able to just pick it up, "Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly, aggressive. It's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well, not today," he tightened his grip on Gibbis shoulder, giving it a little shake, his expression growing determined, "No one else dies today. Right?"

Gibbis stared back at him, his eyes widening slightly as he opened and closed his mouth, seeming to be having trouble getting the words out, before he nodded and whispered, "Yes".

He broke into a wide smile, instantly transforming him back to his usually happy, warm self, "Brilliant," he released his shoulder with a quick clap on his back and straightened, turning around to catch the Hatter's eye.

The Hatter gave him a small nod, giving him a small smile before turning back to Howie, her expression softening, "Okay, Howie," she began gently, guiding him over towards one of the tables, "Now, you just take a seat and remember, we're all here for you," she kept her hand on his shoulder as Howie sat down, clutching his hands nervously in his lap, "I don't wish to scare you, but very soon whatever this is will posses you again and when that happens, we are going to ask you some questions that we would very much like you to try and answer. Understand?"

Howie swallowed and jerked his head in a sharp nod, quickly stopping as he looked as if he might be sick. She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and moved to take a seat across the table from him, next to the Doctor, while the others all moved to sit around the table too, watching him as they waited.

"I hope my mum's alright," he said after a brief moment, looking nervously up at them, "She's going to be w-worried…" he paused, his eyes widening before they grew glassy and his whole body just seemed to relax, all traces of nervousness or fear fading in an instant.

"Howie?" the Doctor called, watching his face carefully, "Howie?" Howie slowly looked back up to them, breaking into a slightly manic smile. He exchanged a quick look with the Hatter, both knowing that it had possessed him again, before they turned back to Howie, fixing bright grins onto their faces, "Howie, you're next. We're all dead jealous," he glanced back at Amy and Rory, giving them a little look to make them play along, making them both smile awkwardly, watching as he leaned secretly across the table towards Howie, "So, tell us…how do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing all of us?"

Howie laughed; looking almost as if he was drunk, "You guys have got all these distractions…" he reached up to tap his temple, "All these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know?" he threw his hands up in the air, before crossing his arms across his chest, "Clear the path".

"You want him to find you even though you know what it's going to do?" Amy asked, leaning towards him, keeping her smile fixed in place, while the Doctor and the Hatter sat back in their chairs with thoughtful expression.

"Are you kidding? He's going to _kill_ us all. How cool is that?"

"Great," the Hatter agreed with a slightly strained grin, feeling slightly ill seeing Howie possessed like this, knowing how terrified he had been mere moments before. He had been more worried about his mother then himself and here he was, trapped and possessed by an unknown force that they didn't have a clue how to try and stop right now. He was so young and it broke her hearts to see him like this, regardless of whether or not she knew him. He was someone's child, that was more than enough to make her hearts go out to him and she was going to do everything she possibly could do to ensure that his mother never felt the same grief and pain that she felt every single day. No mother should ever experience that. Not ever. And they wouldn't if she could do anything about it. She swallowed, glancing at the Doctor with a pointed look.

The Doctor nodded and reached out to take her hand, both standing from their chairs as they moved across the room. The others quickly stood and joined them, gathering around in a small semicircle, still making sure to keep Howie in sight, "It's as we thought," he sighed, keeping his voice low, "It feeds on fear. Everything, the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us".

"Which means that we have to be strong," the Hatter continued quietly, glancing over towards Howie, who was happily cleaning his glasses with the edge of his shirt, looking as if he didn't have a care in the Universe. It was quite unnerving, actually, knowing what was really happening to him, "We have to resist that temptation to give into our own fear, no matter how impossible that might seem to be," she looked around at each person, deadly serious, "Do whatever it is that you must in order to keep that fear at bay, whether it be thinking happy thoughts about puppies or praying, it doesn't matter as long as you _keep_ fighting against that fear".

"Okay," Amy said slowly, eyeing the Time Lords, "But what are we actually going to do?"

The Doctor looked at the Hatter, breaking into a small smile as he turned back to the humans and Gibbis, "We're going to catch ourselves a monster".

 _ **And I've finally finished, I do apologise for the wait, my school holiday's ended sooner than I had expected and before I knew it, I had school to keep me busy. But how things have changed! We've got a new Doctor and she's a woman! More about that in the guest reviews, but I am very excited to see how that will play out, though I will admit to have a few concerns, but more about that below. I would love to hear what you guys think about it. Tell me what you thought, I hope you liked it. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews (Thank you so much for all the reviews, it truly made my days!):**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Oh, I know, I was actually thinking about that while I was writing that episode. The main issue that the Hatter had wasn't so much the fact that they were lying to Older Amy, though she may not have been pleased about it, her problem was that the Doctor did so without speaking to her first and then placed her into a position in which she might have to then make a false promise to them. But yeah, there may be a bit of conflict that will arise due to the Doctor possibly placing her in a similar situation's in the future, but I suppose it will just depend on her next regenerations personality and flexibility towards deception on such a level, but the Hatter will have a few moments of being uncomfortable with his plans.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I'm afraid I can't say anything more about what the Hatter's biggest fear may be, but I will say that at one point it may have been the Valeyard, but things are different now and she has other things that she feels even more worried about. You'll just have to wait and see in the next chapter :)**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I actually had an amusing time picturing Missy and a human Hatter being best friends. I can imagine human Hatter having to be very careful about accepting any food or drink from Missy and having to constantly remind Missy that no, human's can't drink bleach or whatever other poisonous substance Missy tried to give her. I could see the two of them travelling together, Missy because she's trying to figure out why on Earth the Doctor would ever bother travelling with humans and human Hatter simply because she was kidnapped and isn't able to escape, but in the end they form a strange kind of friendship together in which human Hatter grows quite fond of Missy, despite her evilness and disregard for her own safety/health/human needs. I actually kind of want to write an AU series about those two now, it would be great fun. As for Dark Water and Death and Heaven, I think that human Hatter would probably try to talk the Doctor around, but I'm not sure if she would actually knowingly try to help Missy. Best friend or not, the Hatter would still be human and have a heart, she wouldn't willing go along with half the stuff that Missy would.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **Oh, the Doctor is without a doubt eaten up by guilt, how could he possibly not be after everything he went through? Like I said, the Hatter's time during the Time War was very different from his, but she does still feel a great deal of guilt, the Moment and what she did to the Doctor by not going with him at the end of the War are the two biggest things to her, and they will play a large role during the Fiftieth special. That's really when I imagine that a lot of that guilt will come out and she will come to a decision about something that will play a very big role during that episode and the following stories after that. The Hatter, I also think, like's to try and focus on helping the Doctor deal with his own guilt and so she pushes away a lot of her own guilt when she's with him because of the fact that she didn't leave with him when he begged her to, which is due to guilt itself. She feels like she doesn't deserve to feel guilty when the Doctor went through so much more pain and heartache then she did by using the Moment. It's not true, of course, but that's how she feels, I think, in a lot of cases. Maybe not all, but most of the time.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **I was shocked at first, mind you I had woken up at three AM in the morning and was half asleep when I checked by phone and saw the news, which then took me another hour to fall back asleep again. At first, I will admit, I wasn't happy about the idea of a woman taking over the role due to the tradition of it being a male, but I've had plenty of time to think about it since then I feel quite proud to be able to say that I witnessed the day when we got our first female Doctor and I am very much looking forward to seeing how it will all play out on screen, but until we actually see her have a full episode, I will be holding off on my full judgment. I've never seen Jodie Wittaker on screen before, so I have no idea what type of actress she is, so I'm just going to wait. I wasn't happy about Peter taking over the role from Matt at first, so this time I refuse to let myself get upset, but just wait and see what she'll be like first.**_

 _ **I am a little worried about how this might change the whole dynamic of the show and I know that a lot of fans are quite upset about a female Doctor, but, yeah. I don't think anyone can really pass judgment until we've actually seen her on screen, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Wait and see and very much hope that it works out wonderfully, just as it has every other time a new Doctor has stepped onto our screens.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **I actually don't know yet, probably. I mean, we now know for certain that gender means nothing to Time Lords, so I don't think there would be any difference for the Doctor and the Hatter if the Doctor became a female and the Hatter remained female, too. I do have a few actors in mind, though, but I would be kind of nervous about trying to write for a male Hatter, mainly because I've never really had to write for a male character like that, but I guess we'll have to see. I think it would be a good change for the story to do a male Hatter and it would be interesting to see them both try and get used to being different genders. I think it would be rather amusing :)**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **Well, the thing about the Gifted One is that isn't not a generational thing. There can only be one Gifted One, so while the Hatter is alive there can only be one. I think I might have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer while I first began writing these stories, so I probably got the idea from that. And that's the thing, I wrote the whole Gifted One story line so long ago now when I was just starting to get serious about writing and never imagined that these stories would still be going, nor did I truly consider all the loopholes involved in it. I really do wish I could take the whole Gifted One plot out of it, it's a little too close to a Mary Sue thing for my taste, but because it is such an important part of the Hatter story, it has to stay. Sadly.**_

 _ **The other thing is that it can't be revoked, the Hatter will forever be considered to be the Gifted One for as long as she lives, by the Time Lords, anyway. It's tradition and I kind of think that, given the Time Lords love for their laws and codes, that they wouldn't be keen to disregard an age old tradition like the Gifted One, regardless of whether or not the Hatter was clearly unsuited to the role and disrespected the title, as many Time Lords felt. Also, I should mention, that the Gifted One can't hold any seat of power on the High Council because they already hold a seat that only they can hold, so they can never be President of Gallifrey or anything else. They're not even meant to be married, but once again, due to my poor judgment at the time, I thought it would be a great idea to make a loophole about that so that the Hatter was able to be married off. My fault and yet another reason I wish I could take the whole thing out because it doesn't even follow the made up rules that I created myself. I was fourteen when I made these stories, I really wish I could go back and in time and tell my fourteen year old self not to do it. But I thank you for the suggestion and it really does make me smile that you like the stories, despite some of the awful plot choices of the past.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **Hmm, if the Hatter was in the episode, 'Dalek,' she probably would have had quite a similar reaction as the Doctor did. She would have been horrified to learn that a Dalek had escaped the Time War and probably stunned that the Dalek destroyed itself at the end. I think she probably would have had her own concerns about Adam, (which reminds me, do you think the Doctor would have told the Hatter about him? I kind of think he might have tried to forget all about it and wouldn't have told her out of fear of being scolded). But she and Rose would have had a much better relationship together, no jealous or tension between them or one sided in Rose's case. I have to confess, it's been a while since I last watched the episode, so I apologise if my response isn't very detailed.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **It depends on if the Hatter regenerates and if she also regenerate into a man. Either way, I don't think she would be overly surprised that the Doctor became a women, she'll probably laugh, if she doesn't regenerates, and make a joke about doubling their wardrobe or something. But I think that she'll mainly view it as a new chapter of their lives together, as she does with all of his regenerations and she'll probably just be happy to see him go through with the regeneration at long last, since he is fighting it off, last we saw of him.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **If the Doctor had never found the human Hatter, then Emily Smith, as she was known then, would have gone on to marry her human boyfriend and probably would have had two kids together, blissfully unaware of her true nature tucked away in her funny little fob watch. They probably would have moved to the country and she would have continued working as a doctor, eventually retiring. I'm not sure if the marriage would have lasted, I feel like Emily would have eventually have wanted more excitement then just country life and even motherhood would have been able to provide, a little bit of the Hatter peeking through there, so they might have broken up and she would have gone on to travel, once her children were grown and off at University/living on their own. Off to see the world, maybe help a few people along the way, before dying at the age of ninety with no idea of the life or love she could have had. But I do think that it would have been a happy life, just not nearly as happy as the one she would have had with the Doctor.**_

 _ **Guest (11):**_ _ **She would have been miserable, without a doubt. I kind of see her maybe moving on from engineering and maybe becoming a full time professor at the Academy and teaching engineering science instead. She probably would have grown closer to her children and grandchildren again if she hadn't left, however, which I think would have helped her feel a great deal happier, but she would still feel a sense of boredom and life would be quite lacking for her if she had stayed on Gallifrey. She probably would have become more politically involved, too, as a way to try and get more excitement and probably would have companied a great deal to try and help the Gallifreyan's, and other outsiders. It would have been still quite a full life, but she would still have felt like it was lacking and always searching for something new, something challenging and exacting, and I just don't really think that Gallifrey would have been able to give that to her.**_

 _ **Guest (12):**_ _ **Hmm, something I want to add…maybe more involvement from the Hatter's children? We haven't had a chance to see them even appear yet, which if I ever get around to writing more Classic Who we will. I kind of wish I hadn't killed them all of, I wish I had kept her youngest daughter alive or her youngest son, so that they could be involved later on in the stories and we could see how they might have felt about the Doctor marrying their mother. Maybe more snippets from the Doctor and the Hatter's childhood/past? I'm not sure, maybe in flashbacks or something like that, but I don't really like to write flashbacks very much in stories if I can avoid it. I feel like it might take away from the narrative of the story, depending on what type of story it is, (I say this while considering writing a flashback for another story). I think I would have also liked to have added more original scenes into the stories, also try and maybe step out a bit more from the episodes, but I'm not sure if I really feel like I'm confident enough as a writer to be able to come up with an adventure like that and be able to then write it, but I would like to try it one day.**_

 _ **Guest (13):**_ _ **I'm not sure if I have a favourite, I do have episode that have stood out, like writing 'Human Nature' and 'Family of Blood'. Even now I still remember writing those chapters and having so much fun doing so. Same with 'The Doctor's wife,' 'Amy's Choice,' 'The Eleventh Hour,' 'The Logers,' The Next Doctor,' 'The Doctor's Daughter,' 'The Unicorn and The Wasp,' and I'm sure I'm probably forgotten a few more, but I think you probably get the idea. I suppose, if I had to pick out of the few I have mentioned here, I would maybe say 'the Doctor's Daughter,' because I had so much fun writing the Hatter as a mother properly for the first time and I just love her and Jenny together.**_

 _ **Guest (14):**_ _ **Well, if the Hatter had ended up in Pete's world rather than Rose, I'm not sure if there really would have been a story. The Hatter wouldn't have done what Rose did and broken down the walls to get back to the Doctor at the end of season four, she wouldn't never have risked it, but she probably would have used Donna as a way to warn the Doctor about the Dalek's. The Hatter would have been stuck in that other world, probably going on to work with that worlds version of UNIT or Torchwood, trying to help that Universe recover from the Cybermen while desperately trying hard not to think about the Doctor and how much she missed him. I'm not sure how well she would have managed in that other world, I think she would have eventually have had enough and when it came time to regenerate, she probably would have refused to, once she felt that she had done all that she could. It wasn't her Universe and she would never have felt like she belonged there, not really.**_

 _ **Guest (15):**_ _ **I'll have to put it on the list, (I probably should start making one, having said that), and I'll be more than happy to try and write an AU one-shot about the Hatter in Pete's world. Thank you for the suggestion.**_

 _ **Guest (16):**_ _ **I have considered it, for instance I thought about writing one in which the Hatter spoke to someone that I can't mention right now about the Doctor being blind, because she feels like she needs to tell that person about it. But, yeah, I sadly can't. It would give too much away right now and while I don't know what will happen in the meantime as I write, I don't really feel comfortable to write too much about the future when the future tends to change so much while I write. So, while I will never say never, it is highly, highly unlikely that I will ever write a one-shot and post it when it goes beyond where we are in the main story.**_


	26. Chapter 26 The God Complex, Part 2

_**The God Complex, Part 2**_

With their plan formed and ready to be put into action, the Doctor and the Hatter waited silently in the hotel's beauty parlour, the room filled with lots of glass and polished metal, looking far more modern then the rest of the hotel did, aside from the frankly terrible orange patterned wallpaper that looked more like it belonged in the 70's then the 80's. There was even a large fountain in a large panel that went from the ceiling all the way down the floor, right in the middle of the room, trickling water gently down the glass. The Time Lords looked back to each other in the mirror that they were standing before, both having spent much of their time positioning mirrors carefully around the room so that they could keep the creature in sight at all times, Howie's voice calling throughout the speakers in the room, luring it to them rather than to where he actually was, back in reception, tied to a chair, with Gibbis watching him. Rita and Amy were partnered up, the Hatter having thought that it may be best if Rita had someone with her, keeping an eye over her, even unknowingly, while Rory waited just outside the main door of the parlour, ready to lock the main door once they managed to lure the creature into the room with them, if all things went to plan.

It was a risk; luring the creature into the same confined space as them when they still had no idea exactly what race it was or what it may be capable, but it was one that they needed to take. Joe had already been killed and they hadn't been able to do anything to stop that, now Howie was in the same position and they had a better chance at being able to save him, given the fact that they had a decent idea of exactly what they dealing with. They had to do everything that they could to save him; they refused to allow what happened to Joe to happen to Howie.

"Bring me death!" Howie's voice called through the speakers, "Bring me glory! My master, my lord, I'm here!" the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look, the Doctor reaching out to just slightly shift the mirror before them so that it was better facing the room, "Come to me. I'm waiting here…for you. He has promised me a glorious death. Give it to me now. I want him to know my devotion. Praise him…"

The Hatter's head snapped up as she thought she heard the sound of something scraping along a wall or, most likely, the low roof beam outside the parlour door. She looked back to the Doctor, reaching out to take his hand as she gave him a small nod as the sound of heavy footsteps reached them, a low animalistic breathing following. Their plan had worked; the creature truly thought that Howie was in the parlour.

"Praise…him".

The main door burst open and the Time Lords carefully shifted in their hiding spot, looking at the mirror as they waited for the creature to move further into the room. A moment passed, when the door suddenly slammed shut behind the creature, trapping it in the room, just as Amy and Rita had been instructed to do.

"Rory!" Amy's voice called distantly from the other side of the room, blocking the door off with a large piece of wood that they had pulled off one of the doorways, "He's in!"

Across on the other side of the room, at another doorway, Rory's shadow appeared in the misted glass of the door as he also moved to block the door from the outside. The Hatter reached across to the wall beside her, flicking the light switch off, sending the room into darkness, the only light coming from the water feature in the middle of the room that cast a pale blue light around the space. The creature knocked into something in the dim light, sending a small table with glass wear on it crashing onto the floor, still searching for Howie.

"Let his name…be the last thing I hear. Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel…"

The creature made its way across the room to where the speaker was sitting on a chair, spinning the chair around to discover the small device. It growled furiously and turned, catching sight of its own reflection in the mirrors scattered around the room, seeming to realise that it was a trap all along.

"I was lost in shadows, but he found me. His love was a beacon that led me from darkness to light, and now I am blinded by his majesty. Humbled by his glory! Praise…"

The Doctor pulled a face, glancing at the Hatter to see her grimacing, too. It was rather unnerving to hear Howie go on and on with such devotion, so completely under whatever this creatures control was, "That's quite enough of that," he muttered, reaching across to the wall, pulling the speakers systems wire out. It sparked as they both instinctually shifted away from it.

"…him," Howie finished, just as his connection was cut off.

"Nothing personal," the Doctor called to the creature, carefully peering at it with the mirror, "I just think we should take things slowly, get to know each other and believe me, I'm very good at that…"

"Honestly, sweetheart," the Hatter cut across him, lightly nudging his side as he smiled, looking rather pleased with himself. She shook her head at him, though she was secretly a little amused by his antics. They had been spending far too much time around each other, they were starting to take on each other's traits, she wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or bad thing. She was usually the one to make the little cheeky remarks like that. She cleared her throat and glanced back to the mirror, "This is all rather interesting," she said, watching warily as the creature gave a loud, angry roar, "You've been taking people's fears, their _primal_ fears and then placing them into all these rooms, just so that you can scare them to…what? Death?" she frowned, not quite understanding exactly what the goal of it all was, "You've created everyone's personal hell, but for what purpose?"

The creature growled, making the Doctor perk-up with interest, listening carefully.

"Did you say, 'They take?'" he asked, frowning slightly as he glanced back to the Hatter, who was looking back and forth between them curiously. This was his territory, alien languages, not hers, and without the TARDIS here to be able to translate for her, she really wasn't going to be any help to him. He turned back to the mirror, his frown deepening, when it growled again, this time for longer, "Ah, what is that word?" he wiggled his fingers, trying to figure it out, "The guard. No…the warden?"

The Hatter blinked, her eyes widening in realisation as they both looked at each other. She didn't need to be able to understand the language know what that could only mean, "Wait a minute," she looked back over towards the creature, surprised, "This is actually a _prison_?"

"So, what are we?" he questioned, watching its reaction closely, "Lunch?" the creature looked up at that, giving another loud growl, "'We are not…ripe?'" he repeated slowly, he and the Hatter stepping out from their hiding spot, "That's what Joe said, that we weren't ready," he recalled, his eyes widening as he looked quickly back to the Hatter, who nodded slowly, trying hard to follow along with the one sided conversation, but if anyone could figure out what the creature was saying, it would be the Doctor. He was brilliant at languages, better than anyone else that she had ever met. They moved to stand before the water feature, the creature's figure blurred through the trickling water as they peered back through the glass to it, "So, what, what, you make us ready? You what?" he paused, listening carefully, "'Replace?' Replace what, fear?"

"I don't think that's it," the Time Lady remarked quietly, eyeing the creature's reaction to that one word. It began throwing its large head down and stomping its hoofed feet, looking almost for a moment as if it might charge at them through the glass panel, snarling as it lifted its head to look back up to them. She didn't need to understand the language, she knew body language well enough, but it still didn't make sense to her, not any of it. If it wasn't fear, then what was it? What could it possibly be?

The Doctor frowned, "'You have lived so long even your name is lost,'" he translated, listening closely to the low growling. He blinked slowly, realisation hitting him, "You want this to stop," it growled again, louder than before, he frowned faintly, "'Because you are just instinct…'"

"Then help us," the Hatter urged it, feeling sorry for the creature. It didn't seem like any of this was what it had wanted, it was just instinct…or that's what she had gathered from what the Doctor had managed to translate, "Work with us and we'll do whatever we can to help you, but this has to go both ways," she told it, her expression softening, "Please, just let us help you".

For a moment she thought that they had done it, that the creature would agree to work with them, but all of that was shattered when a voice rang out from the hallway outside the door.

"My master, my lord!" Howie's breathless voice sounded, making the Doctor and the Hatter freeze, their eyes widening in horror. Somehow, he had managed to get free from his binding and escape, "I'm here! Oh, bring me death!"

"No, no, no, no!" the Doctor shouted, his head snapping back to the creature to see it listening to Howie's yelling, emitting a low growl. It suddenly whirled towards them and swung its fist at the glass, shattering the water feature as the Doctor and the Hatter leaped backwards across the room, their backs towards a door behind them as glass flew everywhere, trying to shield their faces.

"Rory!" the Hatter cried, lowering her arms from her head, watching in horror as the creature turned and began running for his door, "Look out, it's coming!"

Suddenly, the door behind them was thrown open and they spun around, startled, to find Amy and Rita looking at them worriedly, "Stay back!" the Doctor ordered them quickly, turning back around, just as the creature smashed its fist through the frosted glass of Rory's door, charging out, "Pond, bring the fish!" he pointed hurriedly over towards a small fishbowl by the shattered water feature, before grabbing the Hatter's and taking off after the creature.

"What, the fish?" Amy called after them in confusion, before catching sight of the glass bowl, a little goldfish swimming around inside it, "Oh, the fish!"

The Doctor and the Hatter darted through the smashed door, ignoring all the broken glass, the Hatter instantly kneeling on the floor beside Rory, who looked as if he had been knocked out, "Oh, Rory," she sighed, concerned as she quickly checked his pulse, deeply relieved when she located it beating away strongly in his wrist. She lightly tapped his cheek, trying to rouse him as the Doctor looked off down the empty hallway ahead of them. Rory gave a little groan, stirring.

"Where'd he go?" the Doctor asked him instantly, barely giving him a chance to even blink.

"Somebody hit me," Rory grimaced painfully, looking up at them, "Or was it Amy?"

The Hatter laughed, exchanging an amused look with the Doctor as they both shook their heads at him. He would be fine; he didn't even have a concussion, though he might have a bit of a bump and sore head. The Time Lady squeezed his arm comfortingly and climbed onto her feet, her and the Doctor taking off down the hallway after the creature, desperately hoping that this time, the end result would be much happier, but they were still at a great disadvantage. This was the creature's home; it knew it better than any of them ever could dream of knowing it, just like the Doctor knew every inch of the TARIDS even better then the Hatter, regardless of all the time she had spent there with him. This creature could easily track down Howie without even needing to think about it and Howie wasn't exactly trying to run from it, either.

They managed to find the stairs again, running down them and to the next floors landing, running through the maze of hallways, only to stop short as they caught sight of Howie's glasses left lying on the floor in the middle of one hallway. The Hatter hurried over to them and plucked them off the ground, swallowing as she noticed that one of the lenses had been smashed. It was like with Joe all over again.

"I think we're getting close," she said quietly, holding the glasses out to the Doctor to see.

He took them and sighed heavily, reaching up to rub his eye with his free hand for a moment, "We should split up, cover more ground," he said reluctantly, lowering his hand to look back to her.

She nodded, giving him a grim look, "Be careful, sweetheart".

"Only if you are, dear," he replied with far less cheerfulness then he would have usually.

She shook her head fondly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before turning and heading off down another hallway on the crossways ahead of them, taking the left side hallway. Well, she was left handed now, this regeneration had become more inclined towards the left then it once was towards the right. She jogged along the hallway, keeping her eyes sharp for any sign of Howie, when she began to slow her pace, feeling a funny pulling sensation in her chest, until she came to a complete stop. She felt her hearts begin to pickup as she slowly turned her head to find herself looking directly at Room Twenty. It was her room, she felt it without needing to even second guess herself, the pull towards it was simply too strong for it to be anything else.

"I'm not going to do it," she muttered firmly, clenching her fists together as she shifted her weight side to side, trying to force herself to turn away and keep going. They needed to find Howie, poor possessed Howie, who was currently being hunted by the creature, possibly hurt or worse. She needed to help find him, he was out there right now…, "Oh, bloody hell…" she trailed off, closing her eyes tightly as she realised that she had already lost the battle the second her eyes landed on her door, "Forgive me, Doctor".

She reached out her hand towards the door and grasped the cool, polished doorhandle, turning it slowly as she swung the door open. She hastily checked over her shoulder, desperately hoping that the Doctor would come running up the hallway, but he didn't. She took a deep breath and turned back to the door, stepping into the hotel room. Her eyes instantly fell on the back of someone, their long brown, wavy hair falling to the middle of their back in a long braid that had a bright yellow ribbon tied to the end of it. They were rather tall, almost as tall as her and with a similar build, wearing what appeared to be a large black trench coat. The Hatter's breath caught in her throat and her hand flew up to cover her mouth, desperately trying to hold back a sob as her eyes filled with tears. She knew who this was without even needing to see their face; a mother always did know their child, after all.

"Hello, Mother," a soft voice called through the room, and the figure slowly turned around to face her, their face's so very similar. Green, almond shaped eyes meeting hazel, but there was no warmth there, nothing but cold indifference and a dark, twisted little sneer at her mouth that so resembled the Hatter's own lips. They truly did look so very alike, but the Hatter could also see the Doctor in her features, her cheek bones more pronounced then her own and her nose perhaps a little softer, but still with the same curved tip, the same coloured eyes as his, but with none of his warmth.

The Hatter struggled desperately to try and regain some of her composer, but it was very nearly impossible. She just couldn't help staring back at her daughter, all grown up and standing before her, looking exactly how she pictured she might grow up to look, though the sneer was far from what she had pictured. She couldn't help hungrily taking in her features, wanting desperately to remember every part of her face, when she forced herself with more strength then she thought herself capable of to close her eyes, to squeeze them shut so tightly that it almost hurt, her short fingernails digging painfully into the flesh of her palms.

"No," she shook her head forcefully, her voice strained and barely above a whisper, "You're not…you're not Astra. You're just a part of my nightmares, here to torment me, while my baby is safe and protected far, far away from here".

"You failed me, Mother," the fake spat coldly at her, her voice practically dripping with poison. The Hatter flinched, but kept her eyes closed, refusing to look at her, knowing her resolve would shatter if she did, "You thought you could beat them by sending me away, but you failed. They found me and took me, trained me just like you feared they would. Everything I am is because of you!"

"No!" the Hatter shouted, her eyes snapping open to glare furiously at this fake pretender. She stormed closer towards it, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Anger, she could use that against this, it was her only thing that she had left to remind her that this wasn't real, this wasn't her daughter standing before her. Her daughter was safe, she reminded herself, over and over again, "How dare you try to use my own daughter against me," she pointed at the fake, meeting its cold eyes, "My daughter will never, ever be like you, not ever. She will grow up safe and protected, to be amazing, and she will never be like you!" she laughed, almost manically, "It almost worked, I'll give you that, but I'm stronger and I've been at this a long time, it's not the first time I've dealt with my nightmares and nor will it be the last. Believe me, I've lived through nightmares on a daily bases, this is nothing compared to _that_ ".

"You…"

"Enough," she cut across her, her voice icy, holding up a hand. She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Of course you're going to claim that I failed you, that's my worst fear that I will fail to protect my one and only child left living in this Universe, that I'll have to bury yet another one of my children, but this time it's different. This time I acted first and now, my baby will grow up and live her life, perhaps not with me or the Doctor there to witness it, but at least she'll be alive and happy, and when we both die, that will be all that matters," she took a deep breath, looking directly at the fake, not feeling her resolve weaken in the slightest bit now. It wasn't Astra and it never would be, "You are not real".

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked calmly out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She leant her back against the door and breathed deeply for a moment, closing her eyes tightly, but as the anger began to fade, it began to be replaced with something worse, something she thought she would never learn to deal with nearly as well: grief. She would never see Astra grow up and become an adult, never see her smile or hear her laughter, never see so many things that a parent should always be there to witness. Seeing that fake in her room, it was just another reminder to her of what was at risk, for why she and the Doctor had sent Astra away in the first place, and that helped, just a little bit, to reassure herself that what they had done was right for Astra.

She couldn't say she was shocked that her worst fear was failing Astra, she had known it ever since they had first began learning about the rooms. But it was still a bit of a shock to come face to face with it like that, but it hadn't been real, none of it was real. Astra was the only child she had left, she would do anything to protect her, and that's exactly what she and the Doctor had done. To imagine that they might have failed Astra despite everything that they had tried to do, that was her true biggest fear. She had already failed to protect Theta, Abila, Myrnin, Alessa, and Jenny; she would _not_ fail Astra, too.

"Hatter!" the Doctor's voice called urgently through the hallway, making her eyes snap open, just as he hurried down the hallway towards her, his expression sad, "I've been looking all over for you…" he trailed off, his eyes landing on the door she was still leaning against, his expression instantly growing alarmed, "Hatter, please tell me you…"

"I couldn't stop myself," the Hatter cut him off, sighing heavily, "Still, it's over with now," she straightened herself, casting the door a quick look, "And I can't say I was overly impressed by it, either, but then again, when you've lived through as many horrors as we have and witnessed so much, I suppose it's to be expected," he frowned at her, reaching out to grab the doorhandle, but she instantly grabbed his wrist before he could, shaking her head sharply, "Don't," she said quickly, her voice growing softer, almost desperate, "Please, Doctor, you really don't wish to see it".

"What is it?"

"I think we both know what's behind that door," she said calmly, not taking her eyes off his.

He stared at her for a long moment, before realisation crossed his face and he nodded slightly. It could only possibly be Astra, or something closely related to Astra or him that would cause her not to wish him to see it, judging by her reaction, he would say that it was Astra. He didn't know what exactly, but he had a decent idea and he didn't blame her for being so adamant that he not see for himself. She probably wished to save him from the pain and grief, that was so very like her, after all. He wouldn't push the subject now, but later, once they had gotten away from this place, he would speak to her and get the full story. Until then, they had other things to be worried about.

"I found Howie," he told her, watching her face carefully.

She swallowed, not needing to ask to know that it wasn't good, "He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes," he nodded, grimacing slightly as she closed her eyes tightly, ducking her head. He sighed, reaching out to gently take her hand, leading her away from her door and back down the hallway to another hallway, where they saw Howie's body slumped against the side of one of the walls, just like Joe had been, his glasses now resting in one of his hands.

The Hatter knelt beside his body, "Oh, Howie," she murmured, shaking her head, "He was so young…"

"They always are," the Doctor said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Footsteps sounded and they both looked up to see Amy, Rory, and Rita appear around the corner at the end of the hallway, coming to a sharp stop as they caught sight of Howie's slumped body, Rory's mouth falling open in horror. He looked back to them and shook his head, helping the Hatter stand as she wiped her eyes dry, when she stopped, her eyes fell on something behind him, a flash of anger crossing her face before it was gone almost just as quickly. He frowned slightly and slowly turned, only to find Gibbis standing at the opposite end of the hallway, clutching his hands nervously together down his front.

"He got free," Gibbis tried to tell them, so clearly lying. He looked down at the floor, not seeming to be able to take all of their accusing and angry faces looking back at him, the Hatter's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms across her chest, "He overpowered me," he shifted uneasily as the Doctor shook his head in disgust, barely stopping himself from shouting. It would do little good now. He turned away from the alien and placed a hand on the Hatter's lower back, setting off down the hallway, away from Gibbis, "It might leave us alone now," he continued timidly, following after them, "Maybe now we'll be safe…wait!"

They didn't wait, completely ignoring him as they walked down the hallway.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood beside each other, holding hands as they stared at the framed picture of Howie that had appeared on the wall amongst all the other pictures, smiling back at them in the same tie and white shirt. His body had been moved to rest with Joe's in the dining room. As they looked sadly at the pictures, Rory approached them, opening his mouth to say something.

"Have you found your room yet?" the Doctor asked, cutting him off.

"No, no," Rory shook his head, pausing as he looked between them, "Is that good or bad?"

The Hatter smiled faintly, shrugging, "Maybe it's still out there," she remarked, waving her free hand around the stairwell, glancing at him with a teasing look, "Or perhaps you're just not afraid of any bad dreams this place could come up with".

He smiled slightly, "Well, after all the time spent with you two in the TARDIS, what was left to be scared of?"

She frowned, glancing at him as the Doctor also blinked, giving him a strange look, "You said that in the past tense," he pointed out, eyeing him.

He blinked and frowned, shaking his head, "No, I didn't," he looked up at the picture of Howie as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look, "You know, Howie had been in speech therapy," he told them, sighing, "He'd just gotten over this massive stammer. What an achievement. I mean, can you imagine?" he glanced back to them, "I'd forgotten not all victories are about saving the Universe".

The Hatter looked down at the floor briefly, Amy and Rory had been travelling with them for so long now, they had been through so much already, she couldn't help feeling like things were starting to come to an end for them. She recognised the feeling, the tightening in her chest and the lump in her throat, she had felt it many times before with her own companions, knowing what was coming. She hated thinking about it, about the day when she and the Doctor would have to finally say goodbye to Amy and Rory and continue on with their own travels without them, but she knew that day was coming, perhaps even sooner then she had expected. There was a point that came when you had to let them go, when you had to remember that they were human and had their own lives waiting for them back on Earth, and Amy and Rory were nearing that point, if they hadn't already reached it, judging by what Rory said. This couldn't last forever, they would need to start living their lives again, and better it be soon rather than when it was too late.

"Some of the most astonishing victories come from the littlest things," the Hatter said softly, giving Rory a weak smile as he looked back to them, "That's one of the reasons for why we travel with humans, you _see_ that, you _understand_ it, and being able to witness that reminds us to celebrate the small victories," she reached out and placed her free hand on his arm, looking at him very seriously, "Don't ever forget to celebrate the small moments, Rory, because that is so very human".

Rory gave her a slightly puzzled look, not seeming to know exactly how to respond to that. It almost sounded as if she was warning him not to become like herself and the Doctor, but before he had a chance to try and open his mouth, she flashed him a smile and she and the Doctor turned, heading off downstairs, leaving him by Howie's picture.

As the Time Lords reached the next landing, they came across Rita, who was walking up the stairs towards them, "Rita!" the Doctor called brightly, giving her a smile as she looked up in surprise, "Brilliant! How are you? Not panicking, are you?" he pointed a finger at her, not even giving her a chance to reply as she simply smiled up them, "Good, good. Because we are literally an otter's toenail away from getting us out of here".

The Hatter gave him an odd look, "Seriously, sweetheart?" she shook her head, looking amused, "An 'otter's toenail?"

"It just…popped into my head," he shrugged, flashing her a wide smile, winking, "Just like me as a tango dancer did for you, apparently".

She blushed slightly, remembering that from earlier, "Cheeky".

Rita looked between them, "Why?" she questioned, earning a slightly confused look from the Hatter, not quite knowing what she was referring to now, their banter or something else? She was guessing it was something else.

"Excellent question," the Doctor nodded to her, trotting down the stairs passed her, the Time Lady staying put, "Excellent question," he paused on the step below them, turning back around to look at Rita, frowning, "Why what?"

"Why is it up to you two to save us?" she clarified, raising her eyebrows at them, "That's quite a God complex you both have there".

The Hatter laughed, but she stopped quite quickly with a heavy sigh, glancing at the Doctor. They both glanced over the banister to where they could see Amy had placed the goldfish bowl on a small table in the hallway below, crouching down to watch the fish swim around for a moment before she rose, walking off. She looked back to Rita, "They're our responsibility," she said to her, "We brought them along with us".

"They'd say it was their choice," the Doctor agreed, nodding along with her, "But offer a child a suitcase full of sweets and they'll take it," he put his hands in his pockets, raising his eyebrows back at Rita, "Offer someone all of time and space and they'll take that, too. Which is why you shouldn't. Which is why grown-ups were invented," he pulled a face, making the Hatter smile, and turned to continue down the rest of the stairs.

"All of time and space, eh?" Rita remarked, just as the Hatter moved to follow after the Doctor.

The Time Lady paused, just on the step below hers, just as the Doctor reappeared around the corner, smiling widely as the Hatter gave her a playful wink, "Talk about a suitcase of sweets," she said brightly.

"And when we get out of this, we'll show you too," the Doctor added, pointing a Rita.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rita eyed them, raising her eyebrows, "But whatever it was, I have a feeling you just did it again".

The Doctor grinned at her, laughing slightly, when something off to the side, up near the roof, caught his eye. The Hatter gave him a curious look and followed his gaze, blinking in mild surprise to find a small security camera was in the corner of the wall, pointed directly at them, "Right down to the smallest detail," he said, pointing over to the camera, making Rita look, too, "Got you, Mister Minotaur".

He grabbed the Hatter's hand, the Time Lady giving Rita a little wave before they hurried off down the rest of the stairs, leaving Rita behind. They made their way down onto the next landing and run through the hallways of the next level, trying to look out for any more cameras as they went, when the Doctor's pace began to slow, making the Hatter come to a stop, eyeing him as he looked around widely for a moment, frowning.

"Doctor?" she asked, concerned, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

"Do you hear that?"

Her concern only grew, not having a clue what he was talking about, "Sweetheart, there isn't any noise," she said quietly, watching him closely as his eyes flew around the hallway, as if he was searching for something, "What can you hear?"

"It's like a voice, only…" he trailed off as he slowly looked over his shoulder, releasing a breath as his eyes landed on the door to Room Eleven behind them.

The Hatter turned to see it, her eyes widening as it hit her. It was the Doctor's room, "Of course," she nodded, not knowing if she was more relieved that he wasn't going out of his mind or worried that he had just found his door. She looked back to him, his eyes glued to the door, unable to look away, just like she had been with her own door, "Doctor, you don't have to open it," she said gently, "I'm here, I can try and pull you away, if you want. Just…please don't try to fight too much, I'm not as physically strong as you," she joked weakly.

"No, it's…fine," he shook his head, taking a small step towards the door, and then another, "You got to see your room, about time I see mine," he dragged his eyes off the door long enough to give her a brief, comforting smile which did nothing to ease her concern, "Besides, I've got you here to fight my nightmare for me, if I need to".

She laughed faintly, shaking her fondly as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. At least he still had his sense of humour, that was one good thing. She kept a hold of his hand as they walked over to the door, the Doctor reaching out to open it as they both stared into the room, their eyes widening slightly at the sight before them.

"Of course," he muttered, smiling weakly as he glanced back to the Hatter, meeting her eyes, "Who else?" he reached around the other side of the door and pulled the 'Do Not Disturb' sign from the other side, closing the door and hanging the sign on the handle.

The Hatter looked at him for a long moment as he took a deep breath, seeming to be handling the whole thing much better then she had, "Are you okay?" she asked.

He flashed her a bright smile, "Of course I am, dear," he said cheerfully, a little overly cheerfully for the Hatter to be able to completely believe it. He planted a kiss onto her forehead, drawing back, "I'm with you, aren't I?"

"You do realise that you can't fool me like you can everyone else, don't you? You acting all bright and cheerful doesn't work on me like the humans".

His smile slipped and grew softer, this time sincere, "I know, believe me. I really am fine, dear; I expected it to be that".

She eyed him for a long moment, debating with herself whether or not she should press the issue further, but she decided not to. He hadn't with her, so she would do the same with him, but she hoped he knew that they would be discussing this later, "In that case…" she forced herself to brighten, knowing she was doing exactly what she had just accused him of doing, "We had better be off. We need to find that security room, remember?"

He clicked his fingers and nodded at her, the two of them turning and heading off down the hallway again, leaving Room Eleven long behind them as they continued their search. It didn't take them very long before they came across a door in the middle of one hallway that had the words 'Security' written across it in large, bold writing, breaking into triumphant grins. They pushed the door open and stepped into the small, slightly narrow room that had a set of shelves directly facing the door, their eyes going straight to where nine small, old fashioned monitor screens had been set up in rows of three on the wall above a desk. Each of them were up and running, playing the live black and white video feed of the rest of the hotel.

"Oh, you beauty!" the Doctor cheered, eagerly moving towards the screen, looking carefully at each screen, "Come on, big fella, where are you?"

The Hatter moved to stand beside him, looking up at the screens, when she frowned as she noticed Rita walk into camera view of one of the screens, heading down a hallway, "Hang on, where is Rita off to?" she wondered aloud, pointing at the screen.

The Doctor watched for a moment, looking just as puzzled as her. There was no reason for Rita to be wondering around the hotel hallways all by herself, not when everyone else was on the ground floor. He noticed a phone on the desk and grabbed the receiver, "Let's see if we can find out, shall we?" he said thoughtfully as he dialled the phone of Room Three Hundred and Eleven, the room Rita had just walked passed. They both moved close to each other, their heads tilted towards the receiver as he balanced it on his shoulder, looking up at the screen to see that Rita had stopped as she heard the phone ringing from within the room, casting a quick look back down the hallway, "Come on, come on, come on!" he muttered impatiently, "Come on…"

Rita looked directly up at the camera in the hallway, seeming to have realised that it was them. She hesitated for a moment longer, before turning and pushing the door of Room Three Hundred and Eleven open, disappearing inside the room. There was a slight crackle on the end of the phone as it was picked up.

"Rita, what are you doing?" the Hatter called over the phone, frowning at the screen. She really didn't like not being able to see her, "And would you be so kind as to take the phone out into the hallway…if it will reach, of course," Rita stepped back out of the room, giving the camera an awkward smile as she held the phone in hands. She sighed heavily, grim realisation setting in, "You're not just off for a little wonder, are you? You've started to praise the creature, haven't you?"

Rita's smile faded and she nodded at the camera.

"Rita, come back, please," the Doctor tried, watching as Rita knelt down on the floor, one side leaning against the wall, in the same position that Joe and Howie had been found in, "We'll find a way to stop it, I swear to you".

"We both do," the Hatter added quickly, a touch of urgency entering her voice, "Please, Rita, just come back…"

"No," Rita shook her head on the screen, not taking her eyes off the camera, "I need to get as far away from you all as possible".

"No, no, no, you don't," he said hurriedly, desperately trying to get through to her, "The creature only wants whoever's praising it".

"And then you'll put yourselves in its way," she replied, tears filling her eyes, shinning clearly even on the camera.

"Rita, we're going to come and get you, okay?" the Hatter told her firmly, swallowing hard, "You just need to be brave, just until we get to you. You need to try and focus on something else…"

"Block out your fear and stay focused on your belief," the Doctor nodded, almost dropping the phone onto the ground in the process.

"The hotel will keep us apart," Rit argued, looking almost as if she was amused, "I could be fifty miles away by now," she ducked her head briefly as a low growl sounded, making the Time Lords quickly look around at each screen, trying to find the creature, but there was still no sign of it. After a moment, she lifted her head again and looked back up at the camera, "I want you two to do me one last favour. I can feel the rapture approaching, like a wave…" the Doctor and the Hatter's eyes flickered down to one of the lower monitors, their eyes widening in alarm as they noticed a very large shadow move across the screen, "I don't want you to witness this. I want you to remember me the way I was," she said tearfully, giving them a strained smile as another growl sounded, louder and nearer then before.

The room's door opened and Amy and Rory dashed inside, Amy moving to stand beside the Time Lady, frowning as she noticed their eyes fixed firmly on the screens, horrified expressions on their faces, "What's going on?" she looked at the Time Lords in confusion, "Rita's disappeared…" her eyes fell on the screen to see Rita there, "What's she doing there?"

"Rita," the Doctor pleaded over the phone, "Rita, _please_. Let us find you".

"You stay where you are," Rita told them sternly, shaking her head stubbornly, "Please; let me be robbed of my faith in private".

"Look," Rory said suddenly, pointing at another screen, catching a glimpse of the creature moving down the hallway towards Rita.

The Hatter gripped the edge of the desk with her left hand, swallowing hard, "Please, Rita," she said desperately, frantically trying to get through to her, "Please, it's not too late, you can still get into one of the room's and lock the door…"

"I'm not frightened. I'm blessed, Hatter," her eyes moved away from the camera to something out of sight, taking a deep, almost relieved breath, "I'm at peace," she looked back up to the camera, "I'm going to hang up now".

"No!" the Time Lords cried frantically, "No, no, Rita…!"

"Goodbye, Doctor, Hatter".

"Rita!"

"Thank you for trying".

"No, Rita!" the Hatter cried, her eyes wide.

"Rita, Please!" the Doctor shouted, staring at the screen, "Please!" Rita lowered the phone from her ear and hung-up, leaving them staring helplessly at the screen, "Please!"

All they could do was watch in horror as Rita turned away from the camera and stood, moving to stand in the middle of the hallway with her back facing them. She held out her arms wide on either side of her, tilting her head back as the Doctor slammed the phone receiver down, wrapping his arms around the Hatter as they watched Rita turn on the spot, smiling happily as a large shadow fell over her, the creature finally reaching her. The Hatter blinked back tears and turned her head into the Doctor's chest, unable to watch any more as the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled his sonic screwdriver out, flashing it at the screen. The screen went dead, silence filling the room.

…

Rita's body had been laid to rest with Joe and Howie's on the stage as Amy and Rory sat together in the bar in a booth, cringing as they listened to the Doctor furiously throwing things around in the next room, shouting and yelling as he smashed glass and threw chairs at the walls. Amy looked up to see the Hatter with her head bowed as she stood in the doorway of the room, when the Time Lady gave a shuddering sigh and lifted her head, determinedly walking into the room and across to the Doctor, who paused, about to throw a large glass vase at a wall. She took the vase from his hands and put it aside on the only table left standing, before wrapping her arms around him. It was as if all the fight just left him the moment she embraced him, his head buried in her shoulder as she murmured soothing words to him that Amy couldn't quite catch.

Eventually, the Doctor calmed down enough that the Hatter was able to convince him to go and sit down at one of the tables in the bar area, their hands interlocked together as they simply stared ahead of them for a long moment, silence filling the room. Gibbis had even emerged from the kitchen, once all the shouting had stopped, taking a seat in the middle booth between the two couples, nervously toying with his fingers.

"Okay," the Doctor finally said, making everyone look at him in surprise. He took a breath, looking back to the Hatter, "It prays on people's fear and possesses them".

"Except…Rita wasn't afraid," the Hatter said slowly, frowning thoughtfully as she thought back. Rita had tears in her eyes, but she hadn't been crying, she had been brave and strong, "She was very calm throughout her possession," she went on, "So much so we didn't even notice until it was too late. She didn't show any real outward fear, either, tears, yes, but even those she managed to hold back. She was brave, but afraid?" she shook her head, her frown deepening, "That's certainly not the word I would use".

He nodded, trying to figure it out, needing the distraction of it, "Maybe it's something to do with the people," he suggested, glancing over towards Gibbis, who was picking his teeth with his long fingernails, "Some connection between the four of you that'll tell us how to fight it".

"Yes," Gibbis sighed, rolling his eyes as he lowered his hand from his mouth, "You keep saying that, but you never do. And while we wait, people keep dying. And we'll be next!"

"Look," Amy cut in, frowning at him, "They'll work it out. They always do. Just let the Hatter calm him down and in the meantime, move anything expensive out of his way".

The Doctor's eyes widened, his stomach dropping with sickening realisation, "Oh, no," he breathed, looking back to the Hatter, who looked quite pale, the same thing occurring to her, too, "Oh, no, no".

"I know, sweetheart," the Hatter murmured, closing her eyes briefly. It had occurred to her earlier, while they had been speaking to the creature, that it was something more than fear that had to be involved here, but she hadn't been able to make the connection between anything else. Fear was the most obvious thing that it could be, after all, their rooms were literally filled with the things that they were most afraid of, but this really did confirm it in her mind now. There was only one other thing that it possibly could be, if it wasn't fear, something that run perhaps even deeper then fear.

Amy looked over to them, confused, "Doctor, Hatter, what is wrong?"

"It's not fear," the Doctor told them, swallowing hard, "It's faith".

"But not just the faith of a religion," the Time Lady continued, shaking her head, all the pieces finally falling into place in her head the more she thought about it. She and the Doctor stood from their booth, moving to lean over Gibbis's table, "Faith in _something_ , a belief in something that you hold onto in times of stress or even just in your daily lives".

"Howard believed in conspiracies, that external forces controlled the world. Joe had dice and a chain with a horseshoe. He was a gambler. Gamblers believe in luck, an intangible force that helps them win or lose. Gibbis has rejected any personal autonomy and is waiting for the next batch of invaders to oppress him and tell him what to do".

"They have all believed in something," the Hatter nodded, sighing as she began to pace up and down before their tables, "Each and every one have had a belief in something, believed that there's something that will swoop in and save them when they need it, that they're being guided by some force or being," she stopped suddenly, turning on the spot to look back to the Doctor, realisation hitting her for a second time, "And that's what the creature replaces. Whenever we're confronted with something we fear, what do we do? We fell back onto our fundamental faith," she squeezed her fists together tightly, knowing that she had had done the same thing with her room. She had wished for the Doctor to be there to stop her from going into the room, it all made complete sense.

The Doctor ducked his head, rubbing his eyes as he sighed heavily, guilt washing over him, "And all this time, I've been telling you to dig deep," he dropped his hand, glancing back across to Amy and Rory, "Find the thing that keeps you brave. I made you expose your faith, show them what they needed".

The Hatter moved back to his side, placing a comforting hand on his back, "Neither of us could have possibly have known," she said gently, feeling the weight of it resting heavily on her own shoulders. If she had only figured it out sooner, perhaps Rita would be alive now, but she hadn't. Neither of them had, "We can dwell on our mistakes later," she went on, forcing herself to push away the horrible guilty feeling. They were still alive, they needed to focus on that, regret could come later, once they were far, far away from this awful place, "We need to focus now, sweetheart".

The Doctor lifted his head and nodded, knowing that she was right. It was a terrible thing to have to admit that you had been wrong and urging everyone to do exactly what they shouldn't be doing, but they couldn't dwell or waste time feeling guilty when they still had three lives depending on them to get them out of this hotel, not to mention themselves. Guilt and regret would have to wait until later, for now they needed to focus on the living, as cold as that might be.

"But why us?" Rory asked, looking between the Time Lords, "Why are we here?"

"It's not going after you, Rory," the Hatter shook her head, looking over to him, "Remember how it showed you that fire exit? It was trying to give you a way out because you have nothing that it can feed off on," she shrugged, thinking over it, "You're not superstitious, nor are you religious, which means that you don't have any faith system that you can fall back on when in times of need or trouble…" she paused, swallowing as her eyes flickered across to land on Amy, eyeing her carefully for a moment, feeling her hearts sinking with the realisation, "But it _will_ want Amy".

"Me?" Amy blinked, looking startled as everyone turned to look at her, Rory's eyes widening in alarm. She slipped out of the booth and stood, moving across to stand before the Time Lords as they continued to eye her. She shifted slightly nervously under their gazes, "Why?"

"Your faith in us," the Doctor replied, his voice soft, "That's what brought us here".

Rory frowned, clasping his hands together on the table top before him, "But why do they lose their faith before they die and start worshipping…it?" he questioned, hesitating on slightly what to call the creature.

"It needs to convert the faith into a form 'it' can consume," the Doctor explained to them as the Hatter put a comforting hand on Amy's shoulder, the poor girl looking rather shocked, "Faith is an energy, the specific emotional energy the creature needs to live," he continued, before pointing at Rory, who was listening closely, "Which is why at the end of her note, Lucy said…"

"Praise him," Amy remarked, making the Hatter frown and glance back to her.

"Exactly," he nodded, putting his hands on his hips, his back turned on the Time Lady and Amy.

The Hatter eyes widened in horror, staring back at Amy as she slowly blinked, her head snapping around to look back to the brunet, "Oh, no…" she gasped. This couldn't be happening, not so soon after Rita, not to Amy, "Amy…"

The Doctor whirled back around as Rory leaped out of the booth, his face pale as his eyes fixed on Amy, "No," he shook his head desperately, "Oh, please, no".

Somewhere, in the distance, the sound of heavy footsteps sounded, causing the glassware around the room to rattle slightly and even the chandelier over head to shake, just as a loud growl reached them. They didn't need to think twice before they were sprinting out of the room, the footsteps and growling following them all the way as they run up the stairs and through the endless hallways as the creature chassed them, but they were only hallway down yet another hallway when Amy suddenly stopped and turned back around to face the hallway that they had just came down as the creature appeared at the end, steadily running towards them.

The Hatter skidded to a sharp stop just a step ahead of her, spinning around to face her, "Amy?" she said urgently, her eyes flying from the creature and back to Amy, "Amy!" she reached out to grab her arm, trying to give her a little shake, hoping to snap her out of her trance.

The Doctor was beside her almost at once, his eyes widening, "Amy, what are you doing?" he demanded, looking quickly back at the alien that was closely gaining on them.

"He is beautiful," Amy breathed, staring back at the creature hungrily.

"Leave her!" Gibbis urged them frantically, "Just leave her!"

Rory and the Doctor ignored him as they both moved to grab Amy's arms, pulling them over their shoulders as the Hatter stepped back to shoot Gibbis a dark glare, silencing him instantly. Both men half dragged Amy off down another hallway, while Amy struggled with them as the Time Lady and Gibbis hurried after them. The creature followed close behind them, growing furiously.

They pushed the door to Room Seven open and half forced Amy into the room, when they suddenly stopped, coming face to face with little child Amelia sitting on her suitcase as she sat before the window, looking out at the starry night sky, waiting for the Doctor and the Hatter to return to her, just as they had promised. Little Amelia turned to look back at them as Rory slammed the room's door shut behind them, pressing his back against it as the creature tried to shove the door open from the other side, while Gibbis moved to sit on the floor between the two beds, cowering.

Amy suddenly fell into her knees, her hands fisted on the carpeted floor, "It's happening," she said weakly, her face scrunched up as the Doctor and the Hatter knelt on the floor beside her, the Hatter placing her hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly, "It's changing me. It's changing my thoughts".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked back to each other over the top of Amy's head, their expression growing grim as they both realised what they would have to do. It wasn't the first time such a thing had to be done, the Hatter remembered vividly the last time this had happened, though she hadn't been there on the adventure with the Seventh Doctor and Ace, she did, however, witness the aftermath. For quite a while there she feared that the Doctor and Ace would never move past what happened, she couldn't help fearing that the same thing might happen here, but there was no other choice.

The Doctor swallowed, hard, but he still forced himself to lean closer to Amy, trying to strength his resolve to do what was needed to be done, "Amy, we can't save you from this," he told her quietly, hating having to say the words to her, "There's nothing either of us can do to stop this".

Amy lifted her head, staring back and forth between them, "What?" she frowned, alarmed.

"Amy, we took your childhood away from you," the Hatter looked at her very seriously, desperately trying to keep the guilt from appearing in her face. She reached across the took the Doctor's hand, clutching it tightly, trying to remind herself that this had to be done, they had no other choice, "And then, without a second thought, we took you along with us and held your hand, leading you to your death," her voice shook slightly as she forced herself to keep going. They both had to break Amy's faith in them, it was vital, no matter how horrible it might be, "But that's not the worst part, Amy, far from it," she shook her head, "The Doctor and I, we always knew how this would end. We knew because this is always what happens to people that come with us. We're dangerous and we can't always protect people, just like today".

The creature shoved against the door and it burst open, throwing Rory back into the corner. The Doctor hurriedly turned back to Amy, trying hard to ignore the creature as it loomed over them, growling.

"Forget your faith in us," he said urgently, not taking his eyes off Amy's face as the creature gave a loud, pained howl, "We took you with us because we were vain. Because we wanted to be adored," he placed his hand on the side of her face as Amy tried to shake her head, his expression softening, "Look at you," he smiled sadly, "Glorious Pond, the girl who waited for us".

"We're _not_ heroes, Amy," the Hatter said gently, shaking her head sadly, lightly tucking a strand of her coppery hair behind her ear, "We never have been. We are just two people who wanted to see the Universe as children and somehow ended up getting involved in all these mad adventures," she smiled faintly, "That's all we have ever been, Amy, that's all this has ever been".

"We're just a madman and woman in a box," he nodded, "And it's time we saw each other as we really are," he leaned forward and kissed Amy's forehead, before sitting back on his knees as the creature began to stumble backwards. He gave her a small smile, "Amy Williams," he lightly tapped her chin with his knuckles as she stared back at them, "It's time to stop waiting".

That was the final straw and Amy's faith was finally broken, Amy looking as if she was struggling to stop herself from bursting into tears as she gave them a weak smile. The Hatter returned her smile and pressed a quick kiss onto the top of her head, before taking the Doctor's offered hand and both climbing onto their feet, moving across to the doorway. They paused and watched as the creature stumbled down the hallway, clutching onto the walls as it struggled to keep going, it's breathing very laboured, when it lost its footing and slipped down the wall, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, rolling onto its back. The lights began flickering up the hallway as the Time Lords approached the creature.

"I'm sorry," the Hatter sighed, crouching beside the creature, reaching out to gently stroke its head. She reached out to take its massive hand as a blue light shone down over their heads as the rest of the lights all went out, "We severed the food supply to you, sacrificing Amy's faith in us in doing so," she kept her voice low. None of what they had said was true, but there had been a little bit of truth in it, it was time for them to start seeing each other for who they truly were, time for them to all grow up, perhaps, "All of that so that you would be able to have the space to die. Hush, now," she said gently, stroking its leathery skin, "Shh, it'll be over soon".

They looked up as the room began to shift and morph, the hotel disappearing around them to be replaced by a black room with a blue lighting grid appearing on the floor and a green instrument panel that was only a few feet away. As all the walls and doors of the hotel disappeared around them, they could see Amy, Rory, and Gibbis standing a short distance away from them, looking around.

"What is it, a minotaur or an alien?" Amy asked, sounding a little unsure of what to say as the Doctor stood, the Hatter staying beside the creature, still lightly stroking its head, "Or an alien minotaur?" she paused, blinking slightly, "That's not a question I thought I'd be asking this morning".

"Welcome to our life," the Time Lady muttered, giving the creature a quick, apologetic look as she stood, a little reluctant to leave the creature as it was dying. No one should ever die alone.

"It's both, actually," the Doctor told Amy, "Yeah, here we go," he walked across to the control panel as the Hatter joined him, watching him as he looked up at all the golden alien lettering flashing across the screen, none of which she could understand, "Distance cousin of the Nimon," he translated, making her eyes light up, recalling an adventure involving the species, many, many centuries ago, "The descend on planets and set themselves up as gods to be worshipped," he glanced back to Amy, Rory, and Gibbis, "Which is fine, until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bonkers prisons".

"Correction," Rory called over to them, making them turn away from the control panel to see him and Gibbis looking down through a porthole in the middle of the floor. He looked back up to them, holding a finger up, looking a little stunned, "Prisons in space," he pointed down at the porthole.

"Where are the guards?" Amy questioned, looking around, realising that there was no one else.

"No need for any," the Doctor informed her, still reading the alien symbols flashing across the screen, "It's all automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems and converts their faith into food for the creature".

Amy stepped closer to them, her eyes flickering back and forth between them. She considered whether or not she should ask for a moment, before her own curiosity won out, "It didn't want just me," she reminded them, lowering her voice as Rory and Gibbis talked about something over by the porthole. She gave them a careful look, recalling how they had only mentioned the fact that Rory had been given the chance to leave, but neither of them had said anything about them, meaning that they surely had to have had their own rooms, "So you must believe in some god or someone, or they'd have shown you the door too," she looked between them slyly as the Doctor and the Hatter both slowly looked away from the screen to her, "So what do Time Lords pray to?"

The Doctor and the Hatter both looked at each other, already knowing the answer. Time Lords didn't have a religion, at least not the sort that most other races had, there was a few cults that had existed, but most Time Lords considered the idea of believing in a higher power that wasn't themselves was laughable. They certainly didn't believe in any gods. But the Doctor and the Hatter already knew what it was that they believed in and there truly was only one thing that it could be: each other. They both believed and trust in one another, completely, and that was all the faith that they needed.

The Doctor cleared his throat, giving the Time Lady a quick little smile before he turned back to the screen with the alien lettering still moving across it, choosing not to tell Amy. It was their little secret, "According to the in-flight recorder," he began, ignoring the raised eyebrow look Amy shot him, "The programme developed glitches. It got stuck on the same setting, the fears from the people before us weren't tided away".

The creature gave a low, breathy growl, making them all turn to look back across to the alien.

"What's it saying?" Amy asked, glancing at the Doctor as the Hatter moved back over to the creature, kneeling beside it to gently start stroking its head again.

"'An ancient creature, drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting through an endless, shifting maze,'" he translated as he moved to stand behind the Time Lady, listening closely to the creature's soft grunts, "'For such a creature, death would be a gift,'" he crouched down beside the brunet, reaching out to cover the creature's hoof, "Then accept it," he said softly, "And sleep well," he pattered its hoof one last time and straightened, moving to hold out his hand for the Hatter, when the creature gave another low growl, making him freeze, his eyes widening as the Hatter gave him a concerned look, "I wasn't talking about myself".

The creature slowly closed its eyes and its breathing slowed to a complete stop as it finally died, hopefully finding some peace at long last. The Hatter reached out and took the Doctor's hand, which had been hanging in midair between them, entwining her fingers with his as he helped her up. The moment she was standing, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" she whispered in his ear as they embraced.

"Of course I am," he murmured back, pulling back to give her a wide smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I'm always okay," he leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She gave her a knowing look as he pulled back, dropping her arms from around him, though he kept his own arm around her waist. She cast the creature's body a sad look as they turned and began to walk over towards where the TARDIS was parked off to the side of the large, open space, just a few feet away from the porthole. Gibbis was already lingering around the doors, looking a little nervous.

"Could I have a lift?" he asked them as they neared, Rory reaching out to wrap his own arm around Amy's waist, following after the Time Lords, "Just to the nearest galaxy would do".

The Hatter gave him a slightly strained smile and nodded as the Doctor silently reached into his pocket and retrieved his key, inserting it into the lock, before he pushed the door open and they stepped inside, very pleased to put the day behind them.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stepped out of the TARDIS doors, looking across the road to see the row of colourful townhouses before them, while a lovely looking park was just on the other side of the road from them. Golden brown leaves rustled around the street as the Hatter's eyes came to rest on the only pale blue house just a short distance up the street from with a TARDIS blue front door and a very shinny red, classic Jaguar car parked out on the street in front of the house. Amy and Rory stepped out behind the Time Lords, coming to a stop beside them, looking up at the townhouses.

"Don't tell me," Amy said, looking a little confused as to why they were here, in the middle of an apparently ordinary Earth street. She smiled faintly, glancing back to them, "This isn't Earth, that isn't a real house. And inside lives a goblin, who feeds on indecision".

"Good guess, but not quite," the Hatter smiled, looking quite amused, "I'm afraid that this is actually Earth, I checked it myself," she gave them a little playful wink, making Amy's smile widen.

"And it's a real house," the Doctor nodded, looking quite amused himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, a little top hat key ring dangling off it, thanks to the Hatter. He tossed the keys at Amy, who caught them and blinked, "Real door keys!"

Amy's head snapped up to stare back across to the row of houses, noticing the blue door instantly, "You're not serious?"

"That's not all…" the Time Lady added in a sing-song voice, grinning broadly around Amy to Rory.

"The car, too?" Rory exclaimed, his mouth falling open as he slowly stepped towards the classic car, delighted. He glanced back over to the Time Lords, pointing back at the car, "But…that's my favourite car," he stared back at them, stunned as the Doctor stepped closer to the car, "How did you know that was my favourite car?"

"You showed me a picture it once and said, 'This is my favourite car,'" the Doctor told him, mimicking him as he reached into his pocket and plucked out a set of keys for the car, this set with a small bowtie key ring on it, thanks to him. Well, the Hatter got to give them a key ring with a hat on it, it was only fitting he got to give them a personalised key ring, too. He tossed the keys to Rory, who caught them and grinned back up at the Time Lords, clutching the keys protectively to his chest as he turned to admire his new car.

"Rory," Amy said, stepping over to him, placing a hand on his arm, catching his attention, "Can you give us two minutes? Two minutes?"

Rory nodded and turned toward the Doctor and the Hatter, wrapping his arms around their shoulders as he turned them slightly away from Amy, "She'll say that we can't accept it because it's too extravagant and we'll always feel a crippling sense of obligation," he said quietly to them, before pausing to glance back over his shoulder to Amy, who was eyeing them. He quickly turned back to them, lowering his voice to a whisper, "It's a risk I'm willing to take!" he flashed them a wide smile and pattered the Doctor's shoulder, before dropping his arms from them to hug the Hatter tightly, who laughed in delight.

"You're very welcome, Rory," the Hatter whispered in his ear, before kissing his cheek and letting him go, stepping back beside the Doctor, who was watching the whole thing with a fond, amused little smile on his face.

Rory flashed them another smile and began to head off over towards their new house, not taking his eyes off his car, even pausing at the back of it to admire it from the new angle. He looked a little torn for a moment, before he sighed and continued heading for the front door, not seeming to notice the Doctor and the Hatter silently watching him, highly amused by his antics. He didn't take his eyes off the car until he had disappeared inside the house.

Amy shook her head fondly at Rory and turned to lean back against the bonnet of the car, "Hey," she called to the Time Lords, catching their attention. She gave them a little smile as she pattered the spot beside her. The Hatter moved to carefully lean against the bonnet beside her, very dearly hoping that Rory wouldn't catch them doing this to his shinny new car, while the Doctor moved to lean beside her, crossing his ankles out before him, "So…" she went on after a moment, glancing back to them with a frown, "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"We'll be back," the Time Lady assured her, giving her a little smile and wink, linking her arm through hers, "You haven't seen the last of us, not by a long shot".

"Bad Penny is my middle name," the Doctor added with a playful smile, before trying to look serious, though it was ruined by the slight upturn of his mouth, "Seriously, the looks I get when I fill in a form, it's…" he trailed off, noticing that Amy was still watching them both, frowning.

"Why now?" she asked.

The Hatter's cheerfulness faded at once, her expression growing grim as she ducked her head. She absently drew a circle with the tip of her shoe on the surface of the road, "Because…you and Rory are still alive," she said softly, swallowing hard. They had already lost so many people; they couldn't lose Amy and Rory, not when they had the chance to save them. Today had been a reminder that they couldn't travel with them forever, it was time for Amy and Rory to start living their own human lives and they couldn't do that if they were always travelling around with them. She forced herself to look up and meet her eyes, "You still have the chance to live and have your own lives, and perhaps it's time for us to take a step back and let you do just that".

Amy swallowed and looked away, back over towards the park, unable to stand to see how serious the Hatter truly was about all of this, "Well, I think this is about the washing up, personally," she muttered, trying to add a little lightness to the conversation.

They all laughed sadly, before they quickly stopped, glancing back to each other. The Doctor pushed off from the car and reached out to take the Hatter's hand, gently pulling her up with him, "I mean, you're right, there's still heaps of stuff out there to look at," he looked back to Amy as he and the Hatter began to slowly wonder over towards the TARDIS, before they turned back to Amy, walking backwards, "Do you know, there's a planet whose name literally translates as, 'Volatile Circus?'" he and the Hatter stepped into the still open doorway of the TARDIS, pausing to look back to Amy as she smiled at them.

The Hatter gave Amy a gentle smile, resting her hand on the doorframe, "Or, maybe, just maybe, you have an even bigger and frightening adventure awaiting you behind that door," she nodded back over towards the TARDIS blue door on the house.

Amy's smile slipped off her face and she looked back over towards the house for a moment, before turning back to the Time Lords, "Even so, it can't happen like this," she pushed off from the car and walked over to them, giving them a weak smile, "After everything we've been through, Doctor, Hatter. _Everything_. You can't just…drop me off at my house and say goodbye like we've shared a cab".

The Doctor sighed heavily, taking a step towards her, "And what's the alternative?" he raised his eyebrows, shaking his head, "Us standing over your grave? Over your broken body? Over _Rory's_ broken body?" he lowered his head very slightly as the Hatter moved back to his side.

Amy nodded very slowly, not saying a word. She could see the fear on their faces, they truly did believe that that was how it would end and that this was the best thing that they could do. They were trying to save them, how could she try and fight them when that's all that they were trying to do. So, instead of trying to, she took a breath and threw her arms around them both, hugging them tightly, almost causing them to hit their heads in the process, but they hugged her back just as quickly.

"If you bump into my daughter, tell her to visit her old mum sometime," she murmured to them, savouring the feeling of the Doctor's tweed blazer and the Hatter's leather jacket, trying to memorise the feeling and smell. She blinked back tears as she forced herself to let go and pull away, giving them a little smile.

"Of course we will," the Hatter said, sniffing slightly, her smile a little watery.

"And you look after him," the Doctor nodded back over towards the house.

"Look after yourselves," she told them, and the Doctor winked. She gave them a slightly shaky smile, clearly trying to stop herself from bursting into tears, and leaned in to press a kiss onto his forehead, before moving across to press another onto the Hatter's. She took a deep breath and forced herself to step back, straightening the Hatter's star brooch as she did so. They had been through so much together, she had even been there to help bring their child into the world, it felt so strange to think that she wouldn't be able to see theme very day or eat breakfast with them, listening to the Hatter sing loudly to music while helping the Doctor cook breakfast or see the Doctor playfully flick flour at her.

"We will," the Time Lady agreed, unable to go without giving her one last hug, before she forced herself to let go of her and reach out to take the Doctor's hand. Together, they turned and began to walk back over to the TARDIS, pausing in the doorway to give Amy one last smile as they desperately tried to look happy. They lifted their hands up to give her a wave.

Amy laughed as her tears finally broke free, running down her face as she stared back at them, waving back to them, "Bye".

The Hatter blew her a kiss and, with a heavy hearts, turned and slipped into the time machine as the Doctor followed close behind her, shutting the doors. They walked up to the console and the Hatter pulled a lever, setting them off into the Time Vortex. She turned and made her way back around to the Doctor, wrapping her arms around him, while the Time Rotor rose and fell. She had forgotten how empty the TARDIS felt without Amy and Rory with them, she supposed they would have to get used to that feeling now.

 _ **I apologise for this chapter being a day late, my laptop was being very painful and needed a little bit of maintenance yesterday, thankfully my dad works in IT and he managed to sort it all out within a two hours, but it was too late by then to edit and everything else. But the chapters here now, a day and a week late. Next chapter, what has come of our Time Lords in the almost two hundred years gap since leaving Amy and Rory on Earth? Craig's back with a surprise and how might the Hatter feel about being around another baby? I hope you liked the chapter, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **I think that if the roles had been reversed and the Hatter had been the one to activate the Moment, while the Doctor became human, that the Hatter would have gone through much of the same things that the Ninth Doctor did, with differences, of course. I think that she would have struggled a great deal and become quite cold and less sensitive towards others then we normally see her as being. I think that some of that warmth would have been replaced with anger and grief, which is why I'm not sure if Rose would have wound up travelling with her at all. Certainly, if the Hatter was there, the events of 'Father's Day' would never have happened, the Hatter would have flat out refused to take Rose anywhere near her father, so those events certainly wouldn't have happened. Nor do I think that the Hatter would have taken Adam along with her, either. Thanks for the review :)**_

 _ **Guest 6:**_ _ **It's a very good suggestion and I thank you for it, but if the Hatter does have a War version of herself hidden away, it would be a women, without a doubt. I already have two actresses in mind for if I do decide when I reach the Fiftieth that she will have a War version, but I have been dropping hints for a while about it all. I will neither confirm nor deny any version of her existing at this point, nor if I have actually made my mind up about it and I'm just not telling. The fact that I do have actresses in mind shouldn't be any indication, either, I might add, since I do have a list of possible actresses and models that I may one day use and they are on the list. Thanks for the review and suggest, and I am so very happy that you are enjoying the stories :)**_

 _ **Guest 7:**_ _ **The Time Lords could change the law, of course, but that still wouldn't change the fact that the Hatter is still the Gifted One. The Gifted One's not just a title, it's also a piece of their DNA, so to speak, they have things about them that makes them just the slightest bit different from the average Time Lord, such as being highly telepathic and more advance mentally, more so as children then as they become adults, though the Hatter would argue that point very strongly. Sending the Hatter to Earth alongside the Doctor was the Time Lords way of also trying to control the Doctor, I can imagine them seeing it as their way of ensuring that the Doctor tried to behave by sending the Hatter there to be with him, and that way they could also keep an eye on them both with them being in the same place at once.**_

 _ **The only reason for why there is a loop hole at all is because her parents entered her into a legally binding marriage arrangement before she was even born and therefore before learning what she actually was. The arrangement was so binding that it was impossible for it to be broken, even by the Lord President, and so the marriage still had to go ahead. It's also why the Hatter refused to leave Gallifrey with the Doctor before her marriage because she knew just how serious the agreement was and how terrible it would have been for her family if she had broken it. She couldn't leave knowing that, so she stayed behind and went through with it.**_

 _ **Ah, if only that would be possibly, but like I explained above, the Gifted One is not a title that can be stripped away by any one, she will always and forever be considered to be a Gifted One, nothing will ever be able to change that. But I thank you so much for all your amazing suggestions and ideas, they certainly do make me think quite a bit, which is always a good thing, and I am so very happy that you have enjoyed the stories and like the Hatter, it seems like no matter how many OC's that might pop into my head, she'll always be my first and favourite (Sorry, Amelia). I just have so much fun writing for her and the Doctor, and while motivation and time may cause me to not be able to write as much as I would like to be able to do so, I always have so much fun when I'm writing for the Hatter. I never know just where she'll take me in my writing, from fluff to serious to romance, it's always a pleasure. Thank you so much again and I very much hope you continue to enjoy reading the stories and thank you for the review :)**_


	27. Chapter 27 Closing Time, Part 1

_**Closing Time, Part 1**_

The Doctor and the Hatter stood outside the front door of a rather nice looking attached townhouse, waiting patiently for the occupants to open the door. It was night time and a security light beside the front door illuminated them as the loose stone pathway beneath their feet clicked together as either of them shifted slightly. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait very long before the door was thrown open and none other than Craig Owens appeared in the doorway, looking rather stressed and with his dress shirt half untucked from his trousers.

"I'm coping on my own!" he shouted, making the Time Lords raise their eyebrows slightly and break into broad smiles, the whole thing rather reminiscent of the last time they had turned up unexpectedly on his doorstep, so very long ago. He stopped suddenly, his mouth falling open in shock as he finally seemed to realise just who it was standing before him.

"Hello, Craig!" the Doctor said brightly, pretending not to notice his shock, "We're back!" he wrapped his arm around the Hatter's waist.

"Wonderful to see you again, Craig," the Hatter added cheerfully, wiggling her fingers at him in a little wave, finding the stunned expression on his face highly amusing. He looked almost like a gaping fish, "You look…." she trailed off, biting her lip a little warily as she cast her eyes over him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, his crumpled and messy clothing, not to mention some sort of white stain that was on his shoulder. She felt like that ought to mean something to her, but right now she couldn't think what, "Well, you look…great," she finished a little lamely, giving him a polite smile.

Craig slowly blinked at them, stunned disbelief still written across his face, "She didn't…" he breathed, staring back at them, "How could she phone _you_ two?"

"How could who phone us?" the Doctor asked, glancing back to the Hatter, who shrugged, not recalling hearing the phone ring. He looked back to Craig, shaking his head, "Nobody phoned us, we're just here," he leaned forward and poked his head around the edge of the doorway, peering inside the small entrance hallway, "Oh, you've redecorated!" he remarked happily, straightening as he turned back to Craig, pulling a face, "I don't like it".

The Hatter rolled her eyes fondly, "He always says that," she told Craig, who was starting to smile, the shock apparently wearing off now, "Just ignore him. Trust me; his Second regeneration was exactly the same, always moaning. I once shifted the furniture around in my console room and he complained about it".

"You didn't have to whack me so hard!" he huffed, wincing at the memory as he reached up to rub his arm.

She didn't even look at him, "You deserved it," she replied with a slight sniff, lifting her chin, looking back to Craig. She had been quite pleased with how her console had looked, she had even found a few lovely pillows and added several large rugs to cover the floor, and then he had come along and said that he didn't like it. Well, it was all very good for him, since he never bothered to try and decorate his own console room, aside from later on during his Seventh regeneration's TARDIS, thanks to her help, but she quite liked for her console room to be welcoming, with chairs and couches for people to be able to sit in and read. She didn't even have to walk all the way to her library if she had wanted to read a book, she could just stay in her console room and do just that, or even take a quick little nap while her companions weren't around. Perhaps his TARDIS could do with a rug or two, considering how many near misses they had had with the glass floor and her skirt…which, now that she thought about it, was probably best not mentioned.

Craig shook his head at them, amused, "It's a different house," he informed them, cutting the Doctor off before he could say something else. He smiled slightly and gestured around the doorway, "We've moved".

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, his eyes lighting up with realisation, "That's it".

"Well, I think it's lovely," the Time Lady said cheerfully, casting her eyes around what little of the house she could see.

Craig gave her a grateful look, before he frowned slightly, eyeing them both, "What are you doing here?" he questioned, a little suspicious. There was something a little off about them both, they both looked thinner then the last time he remembered and they had a sort of tired look in their eyes that didn't sit well with him, their smiles and cheerfulness feeling a little forced for some reason. The Hatter, in particular, was paler then he remembered her being and there were large circles beneath her eyes that could easily rival his own, he would even go so far as to say she almost looked sickly. They were saying and doing all the right, normal things that he remembered them doing the last time they had seen each other, the bright smiles and bantering was exactly as he remembered, but there was still a sense that there was something else there, hidden beneath the surface, a sense of fragility that surrounded them both, but most prominently in the Hatter. She wasn't even wearing her hat, that seemed like a very out of character thing for her to do.

"Social call," the Doctor said with a casual shrug, "Thought it was about time we tried one out…again," there was a brief pause as he shifted a little awkwardly, "How are you?"

"I'm fine".

"This is the part where I say 'I'm fine too,' isn't it?" he glanced at the Hatter, genuinely unsure. They were a little out of practise, after all, they had been spending most of their time jumping from place to place, waving back through time to Amy and Rory as a little bit of fun…well, mostly fun, he rather not think too much about the other reason for having been doing that.

"I believe so, yes," the Hatter confirmed, giving him a little smile before turning to Craig, "We're quite well ourselves".

The Doctor cleared his throat slightly, his smile growing a little strained. It wasn't completely the truth, neither of them had been 'fine' in a very long, long time now, but they were both coping and they had each other, "Good," he nodded to Craig, who was eyeing them strangely, "Love to Sophie. Bye."

He and the Hatter flashed him one last smile, before they turned on their heels and began to walk off back down the garden path, taking each other's hand, but they only made it a few steps before the flickering of the security light by the front door behind them made them stop. The Hatter sighed heavily, almost cringing.

"Something isn't right," she muttered, almost kicking herself for having to admit that yes, they had actually noticed that something was off. This was only meant to be a quick little pop in and then they would be off again. Sticking around, and with Craig, meant that there was a higher risk that Craig might notice something off about them and start asking uncomfortable questions, questions that she and the Doctor very much didn't wish to dwell on. But trouble always did seem to be lurking around every corner for them; she ought to have known that there was no such thing a quick little pop-in when they were concerned. However, there was another reason for why she had been so eager for them to leave, and that was because while they were on Earth, and in this time period, the temptation to just take a little trip over to Ealing was near impossible to try and resist. For Astra, they would have only have left her behind two days, but it was so much longer for them.

The Doctor squeezed her hand and looked back to her, making her sigh again and give him a quick nod. Well, they couldn't possibly go now, could they? They never could leave a mystery unsolved. He gave her a gentle smile, before they spun back around and quickly dashed up to the front door, running past Craig, who frowned and took a small step back to let them though. They paused as they hurried into the a smaller hallway that had three doors leading off it and a set of narrow stairs, the Doctor whipping his sonic screwdriver from his green coat pocket and flashing it around, scanning the area, slowly turning to face the stairs.

"On your own, you said," he remarked, frowning deeply as he checked the sonic, hurrying halfway up the stairs before pausing again with the Hatter right behind him, just as Craig joined them, looking rather confused, "But you're not. You're not on your own!" he continued up the stairs, skipping two at a time.

"Just shush!" Craig tried hushing him desperately, hurrying along behind them as they made their way up to the landing.

"Increase sulphur emissions," he checked his sonic again, completely ignoring Craig, growing quite alarmed now. He looked down at the stairs, "And look at the state of this place," he came to a stop at the top of a set of smaller stairs, turning to narrow his eyes on Craig, who was looking rather desperate. The Hatter frowned and glanced down at the floor, only for her eyes to widen as she realised what was going on. Oh, blimey, the Doctor truly was thick….and, she supposed, she had been pretty thick for not noticing sooner, either, "What are you not telling us?" he demanded suspiciously, eyeing Craig carefully.

"Doctor, please…" he tried again, his voice low.

"Shh!"

"No, you shush!" he hissed, growing increasingly frustrated.

"Shush!"

"Shush!"

"No, _you_ shush!"

"Shut up, both of you!" the Hatter whispered sternly, giving them both a sharp look. She sighed, reaching up to rub her forehead, "Oh, honestly, this little shushing thing could go on all night at this rate".

The Doctor, not to be deterred, reluctantly let go of her hand and turned to step across to a closed bedroom door, the readings coming from directly behind that door, "Doctor!" Craig called quietly after him, looking almost frantically to the Hatter.

"Doctor," the Hatter began hurriedly, keeping her voice low, reaching out to grab his arm before he could turn the doorhandle, "Just let me explain, there's no need to…"

He turned the handle and burst into the room, sonic screwdriver out at the ready, "Whatever you are, get off this planet!" he shouted, only for his eyes to widened as he finally took notice of the room, all the soft toys scattered around and the things dangling from the ceiling, and the large crib that was directly facing him with a baby lying on the blue blankets, crying loudly after he had apparently rudely awoken it from its sleep.

The Hatter winced as the crying grew louder, feeling her hearts clench painfully at the sound. She pushed away the feeling as she stepped into the room beside Doctor, shooting him a small, annoyed look, "If you had only waited one second and listened to what I was trying to say, this could have been easily avoided," she huffed, waving a hand towards the crib.

"Right…" he said sheepishly, guiltily lowering his sonic screwdriver, grimacing slightly at the noise, "Sorry, dear".

"Oh, you've woken him!" Craig sighed as he moved into the room, shaking his head as he moved passed the Time Lords and across to the crib, trying to sooth the baby's cries while the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look. Looks like they weren't the only ones who had had a little surprise.

….

The crying had finally stopped, thankfully, but despite Craig's best efforts, the baby completely refused to go back to sleep, so they had decided to relocate down to the kitchen where Craig walked around the small room, lightly bouncing the baby in his arms as he went, looking rather stressed again. The Hatter was sitting at the kitchen table that was in the middle of the room, her eyes running over all the little soft toys and books that littered the top of it, along with a few dishes that appeared not to have been washed yet, the entire room looking rather messy. She couldn't say that she blamed Craig and Sophie, though, she remembered being a first time parent herself, but she had had the benefit of maids to keep the place tidy and she could have easily have just let the nanny take care of baby Theta, not that she had unless she had no other choice. Parenthood, nothing in your house would ever truly be clean again.

The Doctor had his head stuck in the freezer, poking around inside in the hopes that there might be some fish fingers tucked away inside, but sadly, it wasn't to be his lucky day. He shook his head, disappointed, and closed the freezer door, "So when you say 'On your own…'" he began, looking back across the kitchen to Craig.

"Yes, I meant on my own _with_ the baby, yes," Craig nodded, his voice sounding a little higher than normal, still gently bouncing the baby in his arms. The Hatter looked back up to him, giving him a mildly concerned look; he truly did look quite frazzled, "Because no one thinks I can cope on my own. Which is so unfair, because…" he reached out and placed a hand on the Hatter's shoulder, since she was sitting closest to him, shaking his head quickly, a little bit of desperation entering his voice, "I can't cope on my own with him! I _can't_ ," she gave him a comforting smile, nodding patiently as he went on, "He just cries _all the time._ I mean, do they have off switches?" he released her to cradle the baby's head against his shoulder.

The Doctor wondered over to the table and pulled out the chair beside the brunet's, sitting down. Curious, he reached out and grabbed one of the books littering the mess covering the table top, which turned out to be a book about pregnancy, flipping ideally through the pages, "Human beings?" he asked, quickly running his eyes down the pages, "No. Believe me, I've checked".

"No, babies," Craig corrected in exasperation, carefully placing the baby into a highchair at the end of the table, right beside the Hatter.

"Same differences," he shrugged, shutting the book and putting it aside. He didn't exactly need a book to read about pregnancy, he still vividly recalled the Hatter's pregnancy.

"There is something that might work," the Hatter commented thoughtfully, leaning towards the baby, who was starting to cry again, and lifting her finger up to her mouth as she looked directly into the baby's eyes, " Shh".

Instantly, the baby stopped fussing, while Craig watched on in amazement, "Can you teach me to do that?" he looked quickly back to the Time Lady.

She gave him a little, amused smile, "Doubtfully," she glanced across to the Doctor, raising her eyebrows slightly as she noticed him pick up another book, this one called, 'Can You Choo Choo Too?' She shook her head and turned back to Craig, "Sorry".

"Oh, please. Come on, I _need_ something. I'm rubbish at this!"

The Doctor frowned slightly, glancing up from the book, "At what?" he asked, tossing the book aside.

"Being a dad! You read all the books, and they tell you you'll know what to do if you follow instincts. I have no instincts! That's what this weekend's about, trying to prove to people I can do this one thing well".

The Doctor grabbed another book; this one called, 'Daisy's Wild Ride,' and burst out laughing as he flickered to one of the pages. The Hatter cleared her throat, lightly nudging his side, making him cough and quickly close the book, dropping it back onto the table as he looked back up to Craig, who was staring expectantly back to them.

"I'm sure you're doing great, Craig," the Hatter said reassuringly, looking back to Craig, giving him a comforting smile, "Parenthood is always daunting, regardless of whether or not you've had experience. Now, just calm down and take a nice deep breath for a moment and tell us, what did you call him?" she nodded over to the baby, who was sucking on his fist, giving him a little grin, trying hard to ignore the small stab of pain that shot threw her chest. It almost felt like she was betraying Astra being here, with another baby, while her own baby was being cared for by someone else. It was completely illogical to feel that way, she knew, but she just couldn't stop the guilt.

"Will I blush?" the Doctor asked eagerly, raising his eyebrows at Craig.

Craig stared back at him for a moment, as if trying to figure out if he was actually serious, "No, we didn't call him 'the Doctor,'" he rolled his eyes.

His expression fell, looking rather disappointed, "No, didn't think you would".

"In fairness, it's not technically a name, sweetheart," the Hatter pointed out. He sighed and nodded slightly reluctantly in agreement.

"He's called Alfie," Craig told them, holding out a hand towards the baby as he moved across to the kitchen bench, grabbing the kettle to start making tea. He shot them a quick look over his shoulder, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Neither of them answered as they both leaned over towards Alfie, listening to his gurgling, "Yes, he likes that, Alfie," the Doctor remarked, sitting back in his chair, before shrugging, "Though, personally, he prefers to be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All".

"Sorry, what?" he frowned slightly, looking back over his shoulder to them.

"Hmm, that's what he prefers to be called," the Hatter nodded, picking up a little toy bunny rabbit from the mess of toys on the table and leaning across to Alfie, wiggling the toy at him, watching him with a soft smile. Alfie gave a loud, happy little squeal and tried reaching out to clumsily grab the toy with a slimy, chubby fist.

Craig glanced back to Alfie, his expression softening as he watched for a moment, before pulling his eyes away to look over to the Doctor, "And how do you know that?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"We speak baby," the Hatter informed him, not taking her eyes off Alfie as she grinned, playfully swopping the little toy closer to his face before pulling it back again, making the baby squeal again in delight, "The Doctor taught me himself," she added with a distracted jerk of her head back towards the Doctor.

"Of course you do," he shook his head, sighing tiredly as he moved to collapse in the seat across from the Hatter, looking suddenly exhausted. The Doctor rose from his chair, watching the Hatter play with Alfie with a gentle, slightly sad smile before he dragged his eyes away and looked around at the kitchen bench for a moment, unable to keep watching for any longer. That could have been her with Astra, "I don't even know when his nappy needs changing, and I'm supposed to be his dad!" Craig moaned, resting his elbows on the table and rubbing his eyes with his palms.

The Hatter gave him a sympathetic look as the Doctor moved around to the other side of the table, reaching out to message Craig's shoulders, trying to get him to calm down and relax a little bit, the poor man was just so tense, "Yeah," he nodded, glancing over to Alfie, "He's wondering where his mum is?" he frowned, looking back down to the top of Craig's head, "Where _is_ Sophie?"

"She's gone away with Melina for the weekend. She needs a rest".

Alfie laughed slightly.

"Oh, don't be cheeky," the Hatter said in a mock stern voice, turning back to Alfie, "That's your daddy you're talking about there, you can't just call him 'Not Mum'".

Craig did a double take, his eyes widening, "Not Mum?"

"That's you," the Doctor agreed, lightly slapping Craig's shoulders as Alfie gave another little squeal, "Also Not Mum, that's me and the Hatter. And anybody else is…" he moved away from Craig to lean closer to Alfia, listening closely for a moment, "Peasants," he straightened, glancing at the Hatter, who shook her head in amusement, "That's a bit unfortunate," he smiled and lightly tickled Alfie's head.

"What are you here for?" Craig frowned at the Time Lords, holding his hands out, "What's happening?"

The Hatter shrugged, looking across the table to him, "We told you, we're just thought it would be nice to drop by and say 'hello' to an old friend," she flashed him a smile, though it was slightly strained. She noticed the Doctor wondering around again, picking up what appeared to be a piece of chalk and rolled her eyes as he lifted it up to his mouth, tasting it before pulling a face at the taste. Honestly, he just couldn't keep his hands to himself, could he? He was such a child.

"You two don't do that," he shook his head, narrowing his eyes on them both, "I checked upstairs when we moved, it's real," he went on, leaning casually back in his chair, "And next door, both sides, they're human. Is it the fridge?" he sat up straighter, looking quickly over to his fridge, recalling how the Doctor had gone straight to it when they had entered the kitchen, "Are there aliens in my fridge?"

"We just want to see you, Craig!" the Doctor told him seriously, moving around the table to stand behind the Hatter's chair. He gave him a little smile and reached up to cross his hearts with his fingers, "Cross my hearts. We've been knocking about on our own for a bit…" Craig frowned slightly, eyeing them closely, "Bit of a farewell tour. One last thing, popping in to see you, then we're off to the Alignment of Exedor".

"The Alignment of Exedor?"

"Oh, it's amazing," the Hatter said brightly, her eyes lighting up with the thought of it, "Seventeen galaxies all in perfect unison. We've been talking about seeing it for centuries now and really, we couldn't possibly miss something like that. And I mean literally _can't_ ".

"It's locked in a stasis field," the Doctor explained to Craig, who was looking a little lost as he tried to follow what they were telling him, "We get one crack at flying my TARDIS straight into it, If we get the date right…" he looked a little concerned for a moment, given his history of doing just that, and grabbed the newspaper sitting on the table, checking the date on it, "Which we have," he nodded, dropping the paper back on the table, but he was still frowning slightly.

"Sounds nice," Craig commented as the Hatter eyed the Doctor curiously, wondering why he was suddenly so fixated on the newspaper. She really didn't like the expression on his face, not today, anyway.

He slowly picked the paper back up, his eyes fixed on the front page, "So this is us, popping in and popping out again," he muttered with a shrug, flipping the paper open. The Hatter, sensing that there was something wrong, reached up to touch his arm, making him blink and look back to her, lowering the newspaper down so that they could both see it. She sighed slightly as she noticed what he had; this just wasn't their day, was it? "Just being social," he went on; trying to seem casual as he slowly looked back across to Craig, a very serious expression on his face, "Just having a laugh. Never mind that".

Craig looked between them both, noting how serious they suddenly looked as the Doctor shut the paper, dropping it back on the table, "Never mind what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, nothing," the Hatter said a little too innocently, flashing him an overly bright smile. She pushed her chair back and stood, reaching out to take the Doctor's hand as they exchanged a hurried look.

"No," he shook his head, also climbing onto his feet, eyeing them carefully, "You've noticed something. You've got your noticing faces on!" he pointed an accusing finger at them as the Hatter sighed and the Doctor ran his free hand down his face, cringing slightly, "I have nightmares about those faces".

"Ooh, nope, given up all that," the Doctor scrunched up his face, almost looking as if just saying the words were physically painful, which, the Hatter had to admit, they almost were. They were never ones to miss out on a chance to have an adventure or solve a good mystery, but times had changed. He opened his eyes and looked back to the Hatter, squeezing her hand tighter, trying to strengthen his resolve, "Done noticing things," he said firmly, and she nodded in agreement, her jaw set determinedly, when the lights in the room flickered for a moment, "I didn't even notice that, for example".

"Yep," the Hatter said quickly, actually physically lifting her hand up to shield her eyes from the lights in her desperation to pretend as if she hadn't just noticed the lights flickering, "I didn't see a thing just then, nothing at all," she cleared her throat, glancing back to the Doctor with a small, almost pleading look on her face, needing to get away from here before their resolve could slip any further, "I think we had best be off, don't you, sweetheart?"

"Yes, got to go," he nodded, looking quite tense, "Good seeing you, Craig," he reached across the table and took Craig's hand, shaking it before abruptly releasing his hand, turning to Alfie, "Goodbye, Stormageddon," he bent down and air kissed both his cheeks, straightening.

"Lovely to see you again, Craig," the Hatter grabbed his hand, shaking it quickly before letting it go just as fast, leaving poor Craig staring back to them, looking rather confused. She leaned down to Alfie and dropped a kiss onto his head, not even thinking about it as she did so, trying very hard not to dwell on the whole lights flickering thing and what she had seen in the paper, "You be a good little boy and try not to give your father to much bother, okay?" she gave the baby a stern little look as she straightened, pointing a finger back to him.

The Time Lords took each other's hands again and turned, staring to head for the door, trying to make their escape before they could notice anything else that they were trying very hard not to see, when Alfie made a loud gurgling noise from behind them.

"No, no, wait, wait," Craig called after them, quickly grabbing the Hatter's jacket sleeve, forcing them to pause in the doorway, looking expectantly back to him, "Could you do the shushing thing?" he mimed shushing with his finger, looking at the Hatter almost desperately. He pointed back to Alfie, who was starting to fuss, "Shh".

"Oh, I am sorry, Craig," the Time Lady gave him a small smile, glancing back over to Alfie, "I'm afraid that only works once and on life forms with an undeveloped brain, like babies," she bit her lip, deciding not to mention that it also included humans, since that would have been a little insulting. Plus, she was lying, just a little bit, about the whole only working once, but she figured that the only way that Craig was going to start to grow comfortable in his fatherly duties was if he actually had to do them. Her meddling again was just cheating. She and the Doctor turned, starting to head off again.

"Hang on…" he began behind them, frowning at them, making them pause and turn back to him, "You said farewell tour. What do you mean, 'farewell?'"

"Shh…" the Doctor hushed him, looking directly into his eyes as he pressed a finger against his lips.

Craig opened his mouth, trying to speak, only to find that he couldn't get a single sound out. His eyes widened as he looked back to the Time Lords, narrowing his eyes at them, but they simply smiled and gave him a little wave, before turning and strolling off down the hallway and out the front door. They walked down the front path and out onto the footpath, briskly turning to head off down the street to where they had parked the TARDIS.

"Just go," the Doctor muttered firmly as they walked, just trying to keep focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, his expression set, "Stop noticing. Just go. Stop noticing, just go. Stop noticing, just go…"

The Hatter groaned and stopped suddenly, finding her eyes automatically drawn across the road to where a streetlamp was flickering badly, "No, no, no!" she shook her head frantically, squeezing her eyes shut and clapping her hand across her eyes for good measure, "Stop looking, there isn't anything to see!" without meaning too, she opened her fingers up and peered through the gapes across to the light, before slamming her eyes shut, "Stop it! Bad, Hatter!"

"Am I noticing?" the Doctor turned to the Time Lady, but his eyes kept flickering back across to the flickering lamppost, unable to stop himself, "No, no, I am not".

She cracked her eyes open and lowered her hand to glance at him, "Yes, very good, sweetheart," she nodded, her own eyes going straight back across to the lamppost, staring across to is absently, her mind already coming up with theories and ideas without her permission, "Just…ignore that strange flickering light that is really quite worrying but we're not paying any attention to it, because we don't do that anymore".

"Yes, right," he said distractedly, reaching out to grab her hand as they began to walk down the street again, the TARDIS only just ahead of them. Absently, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver, flashing it around them, scanning, "And what I am not doing is scanning for electrical fluctuations…"

"Of course you're not," she mumbled, watching him quickly read the results, trying hard to pretend as if she wasn't very curious to know just what he had picked up on through the scan.

He suddenly seemed to realise just what he was doing and lightly whacked his forehead with the end of the sonic, "Oh, shut up, you," he huffed, talking to his brain, which just wouldn't behave and kept trying to get him to investigate. They forced themselves to keep walking, "We're just dropping in on a friend. The last thing we need right now is a patina of teleport energy…" the Hatter's eyes widened and her head snapped around to look at him, actually stumbling slightly before managing to right herself, thanks to the Doctor's help, "We're going," he continued firmly as they stopped outside the TARDIS doors, making no move to open them, "Do you hear me? Going," he paused, glancing back over his shoulder to the flickering light, before sharply forcing himself to look back to the TARDIS doors, "Not staying, going," he closed his eyes tightly and pressed his forehead against the doors as the Hatter sighed heavily, turning her head so that her face was pressed against his shoulder, "We're through saving them. We're going away now…"

There was a long moment of silence as neither Time Lord moved, when the Hatter sighed loudly and lifted her head from his shoulder, resigned, "We're not going anywhere, are we?" she raised her eyebrows at the side of his face.

He groaned and gave a little nod of agreement, knowing that they had already lost the battle to leave the moment they had first noticed the lights flickering outside Craig's house. They were stuck here now, until they figured out what was going on, anyway.

….

And so, after admitting defeat, the Doctor found himself the next day standing before a small group of children in the middle of the toy department of a large department store called Sanderson and Grainger, grinning broadly as he demonstrated how the toy helicopter could fly for the children's amusement, though he had to admit that it was partly just an excuse for him to get to play with the thing. The Hatter was off somewhere else in the same department, muttering something about staying away from all dolls and Furby's before she disappeared less than ten minutes ago down one of the aisles, just before he had found himself cornered by the group of children. Not that he minded, of course, no, he was having great fun showing off and watching their delighted faces as he flew the helicopter above their heads.

"It goes up tiddly up, it goes down tiddly down!" he cheered as he continued piloting the toy, grinning broadly, "For only forty nine ninety nine, which I personally think is a bit steep, but then again it's your parents cash and they'll only waste it on boring stuff like lamps and vegetables. Yawn!" he finished off loudly, dragging the last word out, still busy flying the toy.

"Yeah, Soph…" Craig's voice sounded from somewhere nearby, making the Doctor look up towards the large entrance way for the toy department, finding Craig approaching as he wheeled a pram along in front of him one handed, his other hand holding his phone up against his ear as he spoke. He had yet to look up and see him, "Just enjoy your holiday," he smiled slightly, listening for a moment to whatever Sophie was saying, "Yeah, coping".

The Doctor broke into a pleased smile, when he blinked and quickly turned his attention back onto the helicopter controller in his hands, realising a bit late that during his little distraction, he had completely forgotten all about controlling the toy and it was rapidly flying all over the place, steadily losing height, "Nobody panic," he told the children hurriedly, desperately trying to regain control, "But I appear to be losing control!"

"Yeah, I love you…" Craig was just finishing up his phone call, just as the helicopter came crashing down in a large display of soft toys, right beside him. He jumped, startled, as one of the toys squeaked and his head snapped up, his eyes landing on the Doctor.

"Oops," the Doctor muttered sheepishly, sitting back down on the edge of a large train set as Craig slipped his phone away and began heading over towards him. He quickly slipped off the train set to kneel on the floor, motioning for the kids to gather around him, "Guys, guys, ladies and gentlemen," he lowered his voice as the children listened intently, "While I deal with this awkward moment, you go and find your parents slash guardians. Er…try in lamps!" he rose back up to his full height, holding up his hand for one little girl with long pigtails to eagerly high-five him, before they all hurried off in search of their parents. He turned to Craig as he neared him, breaking into a broad smile, "Craig!"

Craig stared back at him in confusion as he came to a stop before him with his pram, "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, smiling faintly in disbelief. First he and the Hatter show up on his doorstep the night before, now he's running into the Doctor in his local department store, in the toy department of all places.

"I'm the Doctor, I work in a shop now," he replied happily, smiling widely back at Craig, "Here to help," he looked down his front, his coat absent, leaving him in his blue shirt and red bracers, "Look, they gave me a badge…" he pointed to the badge pinned to his shirt, which literally read, 'The Doctor, Here to help,' "With my name on in case I forget who I am. Very thoughtful, as that does happen…"

"I don't think that was really the idea behind it, sweetheart," the Hatter said fondly as she appeared from down one of the aisles, looking amused as she came to a stop beside him, her own leather jacket gone and with a nametag clipped to her front, right next to her star broach. Her eyes landed on Craig and she smiled brightly, "Ah, hello, Craig. Fancy running into you're here".

Craig gave her a strange look, smiling a little bemused, "Hatter, you put a note through my letterbox suggesting that Alfie might like to come here to see all the toys," he reminded her, "You even put the time that I should come on there".

"Oh, right," she nodded, her smile dimming slightly before she shrugged, not looking the slightest bit embarrassed, "Well, in my defence, I figured that there was only a eighty percent chance that you would actually turn up".

He shook his head at her, "You were leaving," he frowned slightly, looking between them, "The Alignment of…Exeter, what about that? 'One chance to see it,' you said".

"Well, we were on our way, you know," the Doctor said a little awkwardly, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at the Hatter, who cleared her throat. He shrugged, turning back to Craig, "Saw a shop, got a job. You got to live in the moment," he waved his hands around and turned away from him as Craig stared back at him, taking a step forward, "Craig, mind Yappy," he said hurriedly, spinning back around, looking at something on the floor.

"What?"

"Our latest friend, Yappy," the Hatter answered, bending down and picking a toy robot dog up off the ground, cradling it in her arms like a real dog and patting its back, "He's a robot and rather noisy, hence the name," she said to Craig.

"Not as fun as I remember," the Doctor remarked, reaching over to pat the dog's plastic head, before he glanced back to Craig with a frown, " _You_ look awful!"

Craig sighed heavily, closing his bloodshot eyes briefly, "I haven't slept, have I?" he groaned, rubbing his eye tiredly, throwing the pram beside him a quick look, "I still can't stop him crying. I even tried singing to him last night".

Alfie made a gargling noise and the Hatter, handing Yappy to the Doctor, lent closer to the pram to listen.

"Oh, yes, I see," she nodded, straightening as she gave Craig a small, sightly strained smile, "That was quite a…show you put on last night. Alfie thought you were crying, too, he didn't get any sleep either".

Craig gave her a startled look before quickly looking back down to Alfie.

"Yappy, say goodbye to Craig and Stormageddon," the Doctor said brightly, holding the toy dog up towards Craig, who looked up in time to see the robot being shaken in front of him as he put on a deep voice, "Goodbye, Craig," he turned to Alfie, "Goodbye, Stormageddon," he bent down to sit the dog on the ground, when something dashed across the floor ahead of them at the end of the aisle, catching both Time Lords attention, "What was that?" he hurried down the aisle with the Hatter.

"You're here for a reason, aren't you?" Craig asked suspiciously, following after them, his eyes narrowed, "You noticed something, and you're investigating it," the Doctor and the Hatter dropped to their knees, carefully looking around the floor, trying to find the mysterious thing that had whizzed by, "And because it's you two, it's going to be dangerous and alien".

The Doctor jumped back onto his feet, helping the Hatter up, "Might not be," he said a little too casually to be believable.

He looked between them for a moment, very serious, "I live here," he reminded them, "I _need_ to know".

The Hatter looked torn, while the Doctor shook his head, "No, you don't".

"My _baby_ lives here. My son".

That was all that the Hatter needed to hear and as she glanced back to the Doctor, she could tell by his expression that he felt the same way, if slightly reluctantly. Craig made a good point, if they had been in his shoes and there was any chance that one of their children might have been placed in harm's way, than they would do everything to learn just what that threat might be. She turned back to Craig, sighing.

"Very well," she said grimly, lowering her voice after a quick glance around the aisle they were standing in, "Sheila Clark was reported missing on Tuesday, while an Atif Gosh was last seen on Friday, and again, Tom Luker hasn't been seen since Sunday".

Craig's eyes widened and he quickly turned to the pram, riffling around in a bag that was hanging off the handle and pulling out a newspaper that he hurriedly unfolded, frowning as he ran his eyes down the front page, "Why's none of this on the front page?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, page one has an exclusive on Nina," the Doctor replied, brightening slightly as he looked over his shoulder to where there was a picture of a dark haired woman in the middle of the front page of the paper, "A local girl who got kicked off Britain's Got Talent…"

"Lovely story, really," the Hatter commented lightly, smiling faintly for a moment, before she gave herself a shake and grew serious again, "But that's for later," she leaned over Craig's arm and began turning the pages for him, "These mysterious missing people are on pages seven, nineteen, and twenty two".

The Doctor moved over to the pram and began pushing it forward, the Hatter moving to stroll beside him, while Craig absently followed behind them as he flickered through the paper to find the correct pages, "Because no one's noticed yet," he continued, "They're far too excited about Nina's emotional journey, which in fairness, is quite inspiring".

"And what else?" Craig questioned, trailing along behind them as they walked out of the toy department and through the kid's clothing section.

"Surely you couldn't possibly have failed to notice all those funny power fluctuations that's been going on?" the Hatter said as she looked around as they walked passed a few displays of mannequins wearing different outfits for children, most quite colourful. She shook her head, glancing back to Craig, "But then again, humans do tend to miss the most obvious, so it's not that hard to believe that you might have missed it. We…" she gestured to herself and the Doctor, not noticing the slightly offended look that Craig shot her, "However, didn't miss it, nor did we miss the fact that those strange power fluctuations happen to coincide with those disappearances".

He frowned slightly, dropping the paper to his side as he picked up his pace slightly to try and walk alongside the Time Lady, "No, but that's just the council putting in new cables, isn't it?" he shook his head, looking at her in confusion.

The Doctor brought them to a stop before a lift that had red and white striped warning tape running across the closed doors in the shape of an X, while someone had stuck a piece of paper to the side of the lift door that said in bold black letters: 'DANGER! Out of order'.

"Oh, yes, that's it," the Doctor said with a sarcastic note to his voice, while the Hatter looked amused, "Mystery solved," he mockingly face palmed his forehead, rolling his eyes, "Wasting our time. Do you hear that, dear?" he glanced at the Hatter, before looking back to Craig, "Now, you can go home and…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the lift's doors, "We can go to Exedor. Goodbye," he tossed the sonic screwdriver in the air and caught it, just as the lift gave a loud click, "And here's the lift".

Craig frowned, glancing at the lift's doors, "It says it's out of order".

"Nope, all fixed now," the Hatter said brightly, a little overly brightly for Craig's comfort as she ripped the tape off the doors, chucking it over her shoulder to float onto the ground without a care.

"See?" the Doctor smiled, clicking a button on a panel beside the doors, making them slide open for them, "Here to help," he started to push the pram into the lift, when Craig, looking quite alarmed, took over.

"It says, 'Danger," Craig told them in concern, throwing a look back to the sign beside the door.

"Oh, rubbish!" he shook his head at him, rolling his eyes slightly, "Lifts aren't dangerous".

He narrowed his eyes, leaning back out of the doorway towards the Time Lords, "Do I look like I'm stupid?"

Alfie gurgled loudly, making the Doctor laugh slightly while the Hatter smiled a little guiltily, trying very hard not to laugh aloud herself.

"Don't be rude about your father, Stormy," she tried to scold him, though the effect was slightly ruined by the amused tremble of her lips. Craig blinked and looked quickly down to his son, before he quickly turned back to them. She sighed, glancing at the Doctor, "Sweetheart, I think we ought to tell him, he does have a right to know what's going on in his own neighbourhood".

The Doctor looked at her for a long moment and nodded, resigned, "Oh, alright," he eventually conceded as they both stepped into the lift with Craig, squeezing in between the wall and the pram. He flashed the sonic screwdriver at the lift buttons on the wall, closing the doors and setting the lift off, while Craig frowned at them, "Just amongst the four of us, don't want to frighten our punters," he said, gesturing to himself and the Hatter as he looked back to Craig, "Someone's been using a teleport relay right here in this shop. Missing people last seen in this area…" he quickly held his finger up against Craig's lips, silencing him before he could interrupt, "Before you ask, CCTV's been wiped".

"A teleport?" Craig repeated, his eyes widening as the Doctor dropped his finger from his lips, "A _teleport_? A teleport like…" he held his hands up high above his head, earning a slightly puzzled and amused look from the Hatter, "…a beam me up teleport, like you see in Star Trek?"

"Indeed," the Hatter smiled, still looking highly amused. She had to make a mental note to never, ever play Charades with Craig, not after witnessing this little display, "A teleport just like one out of Star Trek," she shrugged, looking back to the lift doors before her, "To be honest, we don't have a clue where it is, the thing could be disguised as anything, yet another reason for why we've been hanging around here".

"But a teleport in a shop?" he said in disbelief, staring back at the Time Lords, "That's ridiculous!" he shook his head, when the lights over head started flickering, making the Doctor and the Hatter quickly look up in alarm, just as the lift walls surrounding them seem to shimmer like it was made from a computer and disappear completely. Craig didn't seem to notice anything, still frowning as they were plunged into a funny bluish light, the Time Lord's eyes widening in horror as they stared around the room that they seemed to have just accidently teleported themselves into, "What was that?" he asked, looking back to the Doctor and Hatter, "Was that the lights again?"

"Um…" the brunet trailed off a little weakly, reaching out to take the Doctor's hand.

"Yes, that's it," the Doctor said in a strangled voice, not looking at Craig, squeezing the Hatter's hand, "That's all. It's the lights".

Craig gave them a strange look, "Why did you say that like that?" he eyed the Doctor, confused.

"Like what?" he squeaked out, before he blinked, hearing himself, "Like…like what?" he tried deepening his voice, trying to sound normal.

"Like _that_ , in that high-pitched voice?"

"Oh…sore throat," the Hatter lied hurriedly, fixing a very fake smile onto her face. She coughed slightly, nudging the Doctor's side, who quickly nodded with a strained smile. She reached up with her free hand, rubbing at her own throat, "Bit of a tickle, that's all…Craig!" she said a little too loudly, reaching out to grab Craig's arm, just as he went to try and look behind him, "Don't look away from me, not for a moment".

"Just keep looking at us, Craig," the Doctor told him firmly, talking very fast, "Right at us, just keep looking".

Craig looked startled, his eyes flickering back and forth between them, "Why?"

"Well, because…" he tried coming up with an excuse, looking frantically to the Hatter, who was complete blank, "…because…because…" he latched onto Craig's arm, just like the Hatter had, pulling him back towards them as he started to try and turn away from them, "I love you!"

He gaped at him, "You love _me_?"

"Oh, blimey…" the Hatter muttered under her breath, inwardly cringing. Of all the excuses that the Doctor could have blurted out to distract Craig, he had to pick _this_ one?

"Yes, Craig," the Doctor nodded quickly, leaning towards him, his eyes flickering passed his face every now and then, "It's you. It's always been you?"

"Me? But…the Hatter…"

"We're aliens," the Hatter said as she noticed the Doctor looking a little panicked, apparently not having considered the detail of their relationship and how it might not quite work with this little lie. She fixed a bright smile onto her face, shrugging carelessly, "Time Lords are very… _free_ people in regards to relationships," she almost burst out laughing saying the words, but she somehow managed to contain herself.

"Is it really so surprising, Craig?" the Doctor asked, discreetly pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket before wrapping his arms around Craig's neck without letting him see the device, not wishing to panic Craig by revealing that they were no longer in the lift.

"Doctor…" Craig stared back at him with wide eyes, "Are you going to kiss me?"

"Yes, Craig. Yes, I am. Would you like that? Bit out of practice kissing someone other than the Hatter, but she's given me wonderful feedback…" he puckered his lips, leaning in closer towards Craig.

"Doctor," the Hatter hissed embarrassedly, her cheek heating up. Oh, if it wasn't for Craig's sake right now, then she would be smacking the back of the Doctor's head for that little remark.

Craig quickly tried shaking his head, trying to lean back from him, but the Doctor's grip around his neck didn't allow him to lean very far back, "Doctor, no, I can't," he kept trying to pull away from him, "I'm taken…you're married…!" he turned his head, trying to get away from the Doctor's lips, when he caught sight of the fact that they were actually standing in what appeared to be some sort of spaceship and not the lift, "Oh, my God!" he exclaimed, his head snapping back around to the Doctor.

"Or we could just hold hands if it makes you feel more comfortable?"

"What is happening?" he demanded, shouting now.

The Hatter tensed as she caught sight of a Cyberman stepping into view of a doorway ahead of them, looking back at them. Oh, this wasn't good; this was very not good at all.

"Well, first of all, I don't really love you, except as a friend…"

"Doctor!" the Hatter called, nudging his side to try and get his attention. He jumped slightly, wincing, but the moment his eyes landed on the Cyberman that was starting to walk towards them, his eye widened and he quickly pulled her closer to him.

"What is that?" Craig cried, also spotting the Cyberman.

"Doctor, get that bloody teleport working!" the Time Lady ordered sharply, her mind instantly going to the fact that they currently had a baby with them right now.

The Doctor quickly pointed the sonics screwdriver across the room to a set of controls, activating the device as the Cyberman neared them, reaching out its metal arm towards them. The machinery sparked violently before they suddenly found themselves standing back inside the lift, the lights returning as Craig, who had been shouting in terror, fell silent and looked back to the Time Lords with a pale face.

"Quick reverse," the Doctor breathed, looking very, very relieved as the Hatter closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing hearts. That had been a close one and it only made it worse that they had Alfie with them.

"What the hell just happened?" Craig shouted, pointing his finger at them, wanting answers.

The lifts doors dinged open, much to the Hatter's happiness as they hurried out, Craig pushing the pram out as they found themselves standing in the middle of the children's department again. The Time Lords didn't stop to look around; they kept on walking through the department as Craig followed close behind them, still looking very shaken, though none of the people shopping around them seem to notice anything.

"Cleaver, very cleaver," the Hatter remarked as they worked, looking thoughtful, "They must have linked the teleport rely to the lift, really the most obvious place for them to have it when you think about it," she shook her head at herself, feeling quite stupid for not having considered it before.

"Yes, but I've fused it," the Doctor nodded, exchanging a look with her, "They can't use that again. Stuck up there on their spaceship".

"That's one good thing, for now," she agreed grimly, just as they began to head into the soft furnishings department.

"What were those things?" Craig asked from behind them, bringing them to a stop in the doorway of the two departments.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, their expressions darkening as they turned back to Craig, "Cybermen," they said in unison.

Craig stared back at them for a moment, "Ship," he said quietly, his eyes slowly widening, "Spaceship…we were in space?"

The Hatter sighed slightly as she and the Doctor turned on their heels, setting off again, "Never mind that, Craig!" she called over her shoulder to him, forcing Craig to hurry along behind them with the pram, "We've got work to do".

They continued making their way through the department store and out through the front doors of the building, finding that while they had been busy inside, night had fallen. They made their way across the pavement until they had the ideal view of the sky that wasn't blocked by the roofs of the buildings surrounding them, the Doctor pointing his sonic screwdriver up at the night sky to try and scan it, while Craig brought the pram to a stop beside the Hatter, watching.

"It's got to be up there somewhere," the Doctor muttered as he continued scanning the cloudy sky above them, most of the stars hidden from view of the light pollution and clouds, "Can't get a fix," he frowned slightly, lowering the sonic screwdriver to look back to the Hatter, "It must be shielded".

"I expected as much," the Hatter said with another loud sigh, casting a look back up towards the sky, "They're being far too careful and clever to let someone find them so easily".

"But you fused the teleport," Craig gestured to the Doctor, seeming slightly confused, "You sorted it. They can't come back".

"No, no, no, I've just bought ourselves a little time," the Doctor replied, shaking his head at him, "Still got to work out what they're doing before we can stop it".

"But if they've got the teleport and they're that evil, why haven't they invaded already?"

The Hatter frowned, glancing at Craig, "There could be a number of reasons for why they've been lurking in the shadows…" she said thoughtfully, meeting the Doctor's eyes with a very serious expression. This whole situation was becoming even more dangerous than either of them had first thought, the Cybermen were difficult to deal with at the best of times, let alone while they had Craig and his infant son tagging along behind them.

The Doctor gave her a small nod, seeming to know just what she was thinking, "Craig…" he began very seriously, turning back to Craig, "Take Alfie and go".

Craig looked back at them for a long moment before he swallowed, determination crossing his face, "No".

He gave him a confused look as the Hatter blinked, startled, "No?" he repeated, frowning.

"No," he said again, firmly, "I remember the last time, people got killed…" the Hatter winced slightly, "People that didn't know you two. I know where it's safest for me and Alfie, and that's right next to you".

The Hatter eyed him, her expression emotionlessly, "Do you truly believe that?" she asked, her voice soft, " _Honestly_? Even after _everything_ you know about the two of us?"

"Yes. You always win! You always survive!"

The Doctor smiled a little sadly, looking back to the Hatter as he took her hand, "Those were the days".

"Things are different now, Craig," the Hatter tried to tell him, sighing heavily, " _We're_ different".

"No, you're still the same old Doctor and Hatter I remember," Craig insisted, looking completely convinced. It was actually quite touching, or at least it would have been had it not been so serious, "I can help you," he continued, looking between them, sincere, "I'm staying".

"Craig…" the Doctor sighed, shaking his head, but Craig simply looked back at them with the same determined look on his face, "Craig…" he cringed slightly, seeing that he wasn't wavering. He glanced at the Hatter, who was rubbing her forehead before she lowered her hand with her jaw clenched, not looking pleased as she gave him one single stiff nod. He turned back to Craig, sighing again, "Alright, alright, maybe those days aren't quite over yet," he finally conceded.

"And if you're so adamant about helping…" the Hatter trailed off, still not very pleased about what was going on, but she could see from the look in Craig's eyes that he wasn't going to let them just send him home while they dealt with the Cybermen. It was a look she knew very well, having seen it on all of her companion's faces, not to mention she imagined it to be a look that had appeared on her own when the Doctor had tried to protect her in the past. She glanced back to the Doctor, forcing a small smile, "Well then, I suppose we'd better get started on our investigation before the store shuts".

The Doctor broke into a wide smile, seeming to be pleased to be moving on, "Yes, we'd better," he agreed happily, already leading the way back over to the shops entrance, Craig grinning as he pushed the pram along behind them, "I mean, there's no immediate danger now…ow!"

"Don't say that, you'll jinx it!" the Hatter huffed, watching him rub the back of his head after she had just smacked it with her hand, not feeling the slightest bit sorry about it, either. She fixed him with a stern look, saying sharply, "Now, let's go, we have work to do".

Wincing slightly, he nodded and kept his mouth closed, trying hard to ignore the dull pain in the back of his head and the slight snigger that came from Craig's direction as they entered the shop again. She was probably right, they had enough bad luck as it was, no need to go and accidently give them even more bad luck.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter strolled through the jewellery section of the woman's department of the one of the upper floors of the store, while Craig trailed along close behind them with the pram.

"Oh, hello, Val," the Hatter called over to an older woman that was working behind one of the counters, just finishing severing a woman. She flashed the older woman a smile and a little wave.

"Hello," Val smiled back, just as her customer left.

The Doctor gave Craig an encouraging smile and pattered him on the back before he and the Hatter moved to head over towards Val's counter, when Craig grabbed his arm, "Where am I investigating?" he asked them quickly, making them pause and turn back to him.

"Well, look round," the Doctor told him, shrugging, "Ask questions. People like it when you're with a baby," he pointed at Alfie in the pram, making Craig blink slightly, "Babies are sweet. People talk to you," he leaned in closer towards him, saying secretively, "That's why we usually take a human with us".

The Hatter smiled slightly, looking amused, "It is one of the reasons, yes".

Craig gave them both a strange look, raising his eyebrows at the Doctor, "So, I'm your baby?"

Both Time Lords winced very slightly at the way he had put it and the Hatter quickly seemed to become quite interested in adjusting the cuff of her shirt sleeve, while the Doctor gave Craig a slightly strained smile.

"You're my baby," he agreed, and in an attempt to hide just how much those words had affected him, bundled Craig up into a big hug, hiding his face from Craig's eyes for a moment as he pattered his back before releasing him, keeping the forced smile on his face.

The Hatter cleared her throat slightly, giving Craig's shoulder an encouraging pat, "Well, off you pop," she urged him, trying very hard not to think about Astra right now. They needed to focus, "Keep your eyes and ears open".

Craig nodded, throwing the Doctor a slightly odd look, seeming to be quite surprised by his unexpected hug, though he didn't appear to have realised the true reason behind it. He turned and walked away from them, pushing the pram along ahead of him as he went, while the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a brief look and turned to walk back over towards Val's counter to find the older woman smiling as they neared.

"Hope you don't mind me saying, Doctor," Val began, still smiling as the Doctor happily picked up a pair of sunglasses from a display on the glass counter, putting them on before he turned towards the Hatter, holding out his hands. The Hatter shook her head with an amused smile, slipping them off his nose as Val went on, "But I think you look ever so sweet, you and you partner and the baby".

"Partner…" the Doctor muttered thoughtfully, while the Hatter blinked slowly as it hit her just what Val had said, finding it very difficult to stop herself from bursting out laughing. Of course, the implication went straight over the Doctor's head, "Yes, I like it," he pointed at Val, "Is it better then 'companion?'"

"Companion sounds old-fashioned," she shook her head, giving him a little knowing smile, "There's no need to be coy these days, and Hatter…" she turned towards the Time Lady, who quickly bit her lip, trying to stop herself from laughing, "I think it's just wonderful to see you supporting your brother and his family like this".

"Oh, well, love is love…" the Hatter said with a shrug, her voice trembling very slightly with suppressed giggles as she noticed the Doctor freeze beside her, staring back at Val with a shocked and slightly horrified expression on his face, apparently finally realising what Val was thinking. The Time Lady simply allowed a smile to cross her face, acting as if nothing had happened as she raised her eyebrows at Val, "So, tell me, Val," she leaned forward, clasping her hands together on the glass counter, "Have you noticed anything a little odd or strange around here recently?"

"Well…"

"Yes, yes?" the Doctor asked, also leaning forward, seeming over what had just occurred.

"Mary Warnock saw Don Petheridge snogging Andrea Groom outside the Conservative Club on his so-called day off 'golfing'".

"Yeah," he sighed slightly, exchanging a look with the Hatter as they both straightened again, disappointed, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all".

"Perhaps not," the Hatter nodded, flashing Val a bright smile, "Well, thank you very much for your time, Val".

The Doctor leaned forward again and quickly air kissed both of Val's cheeks, while the Hatter wiggled her fingers at the older woman in a little wave, before the two of them took each other's hands and began to head off again.

"And then there's that silver rat thing," Val called after them once they had barely taken three steps away from her counter.

They spun back around to face her, smiling widely at her, "What?"

"Well, I was looking for a birthday present for my nephew, he's turning nine and he just loves all those robot and remote controlled things, but then I heard this scurrying noise and when I looked down, there was this silver thing with red, glowing eyes…"

The Hatter cleared her throat slightly, trying hard not to look to impatient, but they really did need to start investigating, especially with the Cybermen involved, "So you were in the toy department, I assume?" she asked, and Val nodded. She glanced at the Doctor briefly before turning back to Val, giving her a bright smile, "Excellent. Shall we go and take a look?"

….

Together, the Doctor, the Hatter, and Val made their way back over to the toy department, which happened to be on the same floor. As they reached the department, the Doctor immediately crouched on the floor and began scanning under tables and around shelves with his sonic screwdriver, while the Hatter stood above him with a large butterfly net in her hands that she snagged out of a stack on a nearby shelf, ready to throw it over what she suspected to be a Cybermat, should they find it. From what Val had described and what they already knew, there really wasn't much else that it could be but a Cybermat.

"A silver rat," the Doctor said as he pulled himself out from beneath a table, jumping onto his feet to scan the top of the table and the few toys sitting on it, "Glowing red eyes".

"Yes," Val nodded as she hovered just behind them, "Then is zizzed off," she shook her head slightly as the Doctor slipped his sonic screwdriver back in his pocket, "I wanted to get one for my nephew, but stockroom say there's no such item".

"That's probably for the best, anyway," the Hatter muttered, grimacing slightly at the thought of a child getting their hands on a Cybermat. That would be beyond terrible.

"Well, what was it, then?" she looked between them, frowning, "Answer me that," the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other quickly, before turning back to her, opening their mouths to try and respond, when there was a loud clash of something crashing onto the floor from the other side of the floor and the sound of someone shouting distantly, making them turn quickly in the direction, "What's all that hullabaloo?" she wondered aloud.

"Er…" the Doctor winced slightly, looking hurriedly to the Hatter, "That'll be our partner with the, er…"

The Hatter quickly passed the net to Val, "Hold this for a moment, would you?" she didn't even wait to hear her reply before she and the Doctor were already running out of the toy department, hurrying through the store as they dodged people and displays in their way, hearing loud voices coming from the direction of the woman's wear department.

"Make a habit of hanging round in woman's wear, sir?" a deep, familiar voice reached them over the noise of a baby crying as they neared the woman's wear department.

"I'm sorry," Craig sighed, and they could see him appearing to be fumbling with one of the display stands that had several brightly coloured bras hanging on it that he seemed t have knocked over, trying to right it. A young woman with blonde hair was standing just behind him with her hands on her hips and a very disgruntled expression on her face, while a man wearing a grey security uniform stood beside her, "Oh, shush," Craig tried to calm Alfie as he continued to cry loudly, trying to gently rock the pram while fixing the stand, "Alfie, come on…"

"He's a pervert!" the blonde haired girl, Kelly, one of the employees, accused. She gestured towards Craig, "Look at him".

The Doctor and the Hatter finally reached them, skidding slightly across the carpeted floor in their haste, "Hello, everyone!" the Doctor called brightly, helping to steady the Hatter before she could fall into another rack of underwear. They both smiled broadly, the Time Lady waving cheerfully, "Here to help".

"Hello, Doctor, Hatter," Kelly greeted them, suddenly smiling and looking very pleased to see them.

"Hello, Doctor and Hatter," the security guard, George, grinned at them as if they were old friends.

"Oh, hello, you two," the Hatter returned their smiles, nodding to them both, before she grew slightly more serious, "I don't suppose you could help us?" she raised her eyebrows hopefully, "We're looking for a little silver robot, looks a bit like a rat, have either of you seen anything like that by any chance?"

George and Kelly simply shook their heads blankly, looking confused.

"No?" the Doctor glanced between them, sighing slightly as he looked back to the Hatter, "Okay, long shot, dear".

"I figured as much," the Time Lady agreed, looking quite disappointed as she shrugged, "Still, I had to ask," she brightened slightly as she turned back to the others, "Oh, I see that you've meet our friend, Craig and his son," she held out her hand towards Craig, who had picked himself up from the floor and managed to settle Alfie again.

The Doctor smiled, glancing at George, "Nice uniform, George," he remarked, making an 'O' with his thumb and index finger and whistling.

"Thank you, Doctor," George said happily, glancing down his front with a smile, though his smile faded when he looked back up to Craig, "If he's with you, that's all right, then".

"Sorry," Kelly said, shifting a little awkwardly as Craig gave her a pointed look, "I thought he was hassling me, 'cause that's the last thing I need today…" the Doctor sighed loudly and mimicked a chattering mouth with his hand, but he quickly lowered his hand as the Hatter shot him a stern look, mouthing a quick, 'Sorry, dear' in her direction. Kelly was still talking, not seeming to notice anything, "'Cause Shona's not turned up, right, so I'm doing twice the work for the same money, if you don't mind…"

"Shush!" the Doctor hushed her, lifting his finger up to his lips. Kelly instantly closed her mouth, looking slightly startled as she realised what she had done.

"Please teach me how to do that," Craig half-pleaded, looking at the Time Lords eagerly.

The Hatter shot him a quick, amused look, but her mind was already off on something that she had heard Kelly say through all the prattle, "Kelly," she turned to the young woman, meeting her eyes, "You said something about someone called Shona? Tell me".

"My supervisor," Kelly explained, huffing slightly, "She's meant to be in today but never showed up".

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Hatter, quickly turning back to Kelly, "Well, where did you last see her?"

….

The Doctor and the Hatter carefully crept down the hallway of the woman's changing rooms of the woman's wear department, Craig pushing the pram along just behind them. The hallway with curtained off doorways along the sides of the walls seemed to be empty, which was a great relief to the Hatter, who had tried to suggest to the Doctor that she would be fine taking a quick look around in the ladies changing rooms without him and Craig, but he had insisted that he come with her. She didn't even have the energy to bother arguing with him, any embarrassment that he may experience would be his own fault.

"How do you do that?" Craig asked quietly, eyeing the Doctor's back suspiciously, "It's a power, isn't it?" the Doctor and the Hatter paused, glancing back to him, the brunet looking rather amused. He narrowed his eyes on them, "Some sort of weird alien hypnotic power. I bet you excrete some sort of gas that makes people love you two".

"Alien gas?" the Hatter repeated with a small laugh, shaking her head at him as she turned away from him to continue moving down the hallway.

"Would that I could, Craig," the Doctor commented, moving to open one of the curtains and a woman screamed from inside, making them all jump. He quickly slammed the curtains closed again; his eyes squeezed shut with a grimace, "Er, sorry, Madam," he said hurriedly, before he quickly pulled the curtain open again, making the Hatter stare at him in disbelief, "I'd try that in red if I were you," he closed the curtains again and turned around, only to find the Hatter still staring at him.

She shook her head slowly, "I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

"Trust me, dear, she has nothing on you".

She blushed deeply and turned away, though she knew that trying to hide her blush was impossible when her neck felt so hot right now, "Oh, shut up," she muttered, really, really not wanting to have this discussion in front of Craig. Perhaps they had spent a little bit too much time travelling around by themselves.

Craig cleared his throat a little awkwardly, "I'm right though, aren't I?" he said, seeming to be trying to move passed the embarrassing little moment.

"Well, you love us," the Doctor replied with a careless shrug, moving on to the next curtain and, slightly more warily, pushing the fabric apart to peer inside the changing room, "We've never excreted any weird alien gases at you".

"I don't love you," he frowned, "Don't start that again".

Alfie gurgled, smiling up at his father from his pram.

"You're right, Alfie," the Hatter nodded, smiling broadly as she reached into the pram to lightly pat his cheek with her finger, looking back over to Craig, "Of course he does, your daddy is just being very silly. And of course we do in return".

"We're partners," the Doctor added, pointing at Craig, himself, and the Hatter with a stern look, before reaching into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver.

"Yeah, but I did exactly what your two would have done, and I nearly got arrested!" Craig exclaimed, looking annoyed.

Alfie cooed again, drawing the Time Lords attention.

"Stormy thinks you should believe in yourself more," the Doctor informed Craig, raising his sonic screwdriver and activating it, scanning the area as he moved down to the last two changing rooms.

"Great. So now my baby's reviewing me".

"Welcome to parenthood, Craig," the Hatter commented lightly, though her eyes were fixed on the Doctor as he moved into the last changing room, the curtain already open.

"Here," the Doctor announced after a moment, stepping further into the small space and looking at the large mirror that was hanging on the wall. He glanced back over his shoulder to Craig and the Hatter, his expression growing grim, "Right here. Last night, a Cyberman took Shona".

The Hatter sighed and closed her eyes briefly, "Poor woman".

"A Cyber _man_ …?" Craig frowned, shaking his head in confusion, "I thought it was a little silver rat".

"It's not a rat," the Doctor looked back to him, slipping his sonic screwdriver back inside his pocket, "It's a _Cybermat_ ".

"Alright," he muttered, looking a little taken aback by the slightly snappy tone in the Doctor's voice, "Don't have a go at me just because I don't know the names".

The Hatter sighed slightly, "It's really not important," she said calmly, shooting the Doctor a quick look. Yes, it would seem that they had been travelling on their own for too long now, "Now," she wrapped and arm around Craig's shoulders and turned him back around, guiding him out of the changing room as he pushed the pram, the Doctor following along behind them, "Cybermats are infiltrators, who are very deadly and very fast," she explained as they made their way back out into the ladies wear department, "One of their main roles is to collect power, just like how a bee might collect pollen".

"One of them's been sucking the electrical energy from this area," the Doctor added, frowning thoughtfully as they continued through the department, "But why a shop?" he shook his head, glancing back to the Hatter, "You know, why not a nuclear power station?"

"Okay, why?" Craig asked, looking between the Time Lords with a small sigh.

Time Lady brought them to a stop in the middle of the aisle, smiling slyly, "Well, there's only really one way that we can find out," she looked back to Craig, her eyes twinkling, "Ask it".

The Doctor smiled, nodding along with her as Craig looked as if he regretted asking in the first place, "We wait for the shop to shut," he agreed, already formulating the plan, "We stake the place out and grab ourselves a Cybermat".

"And this is just a coincidence, is it?" Craig eyed them suspiciously.

"I'm sorry?" the Hatter blinked slightly, looking at him in confusion.

"Aliens _in_ Colchester. Aliens _twice_ in my life, happening to me, just when _you_ two turn up".

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the Doctor said quickly, frowning at him at the accusation in his voice, "This is not _our_ fault, Craig".

Alfie started fussing loudly, probably due to the slight rise in tension that had come over them, making the three of them look at him.

"Oh, shush," Craig tried calming him, leaning over the pram, looking quite annoyed, "Look what you've done now," he shot back to the Time Lords.

"It's his nappy," the Hatter told him, looking a little apologetic. She didn't wish to get into a fight with Craig, far from it, and he possibly did have a point. They might not have meant for any of this to have happened, but the fact remained that where they went, trouble with aliens did seem to follow close behind them.

"He's mentioned it twice," the Doctor said, rather unhelpfully.

"Well sorry," Craig huffed sarcastically, still trying to tend to Alfie, "I don't speak Baby, do I".

"There's no need to get annoyed with us," the brunet said with a hint of sharpness in her voice, watching him, "Just go and change his nappy, there's a changing station over by electrical goods. We'll meet you back here".

"And of course, you'd know that," he grumbled, throwing them both a dark look before he grabbed the handle of the pram, spinning it around, "Come on, Alfie," he started marching off, pushing the pram as Alfie continued crying loudly.

"Craig!" the Doctor called after him, looking slightly exasperated himself, "It's a coincidence. It happens. It's what the Universe does for…" he trailed off suddenly, and the Hatter gave him a puzzled look before following his gaze, only for her eyes to widen in surprise.

There was Amy and Rory, walking down another aisle a short distance away from them, Rory helpfully carrying a number of shopping bags for Amy as they walked casually. They looked just like they had the last time they had seen them, when they had dropped them off outside their brand new home and said their goodbyes. Neither of them appeared to have noticed the Time Lords standing only just ahead of them, stuck frozen to the spot in their shock at the sudden appearance of their friends.

A little girl with dark brown hair came running up to Amy as they watched, stopping the couple, "Can I have your autograph, please?" she asked eagerly, holding out a pen and a slip of paper towards Amy.

"Er, yeah," Amy smiled slightly embarrassedly, glancing quickly to Rory and back to the girl, "Sure," she took the pen and paper from her.

"…fun," the Doctor finished quietly, unable to look away from the couple as the Hatter smiled slowly, delighted to see Amy and Rory looking so well and happy.

"What's your name?" Amy asked the girl, ready to write on the piece of paper.

"Elly".

"To Elly," she wrote quickly, flashing the girl a quick smile, "I like your hair band," she pointed to the girl's blue and white polka dot hair band, finishing writing the little message.

"Thank you".

The Doctor began to open his mouth to call out to them, when he felt a hand land on his upper arm, making him drag his eyes off the couple to the Hatter's face as she gave him a small, sad smile and shook her head.

"We can't, sweetheart," she reminded him gently, swallowing hard as she cast the couple a quick look, "We just…can't".

He looked back over to the couple and sighed heavily, "Yeah," he reached out to take her hand, entwining his fingers through hers as they quickly moved to conceal themselves behind a rack of clothing, peeking over the top of it to watch Amy and Rory.

"All right?" Rory asked as he stood slightly awkwardly, watching Amy finish writing on the slip of paper.

Amy smiled and held the paper and pen back out to Elly, "There you go".

"Thank you," Elly said happily, taking the pen and paper back, turning towards where her mother was standing, moving across to her.

Amy grinned, looking excited as she glanced back to Rory, who was smiling slightly as the couple walked away down the opposite side of the aisle to the Time Lords. The Doctor and The Hatter remained hidden behind the clothing rack, smiling broadly and proudly as they glanced at Elly as she spoke quickly to her mother before pointing over towards the Time Lords. They blinked slightly, confused, before turning to look behind them, only to find a large poster of an ad for a perfume hanging on the wall behind them with Amy's face on it and a pink bottle of perfume, big bold letters written across the poster saying, 'Petrichor. For The Girl Who's Tired Of Waiting'.

The Doctor looked back to the Hatter, "Amelia Pond…" he said proudly.

The Hatter grinned, completely delighted, "I'd say that we made the right choice in letting them go, don't you, sweetheart?"

"Absolutely, dear," he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, before they both looked back up to admire the ad with Amy's face splashed across it, just feeling so proud to see what their companions had done, how far they had come, "Absolutely".

 _ **I'm so sorry this has taken me so long to finish, I've had it partly written up for weeks now but only just found the time to start writing it again over the past few days. I've also been working on another project at the same, which has been quite time consuming.**_

 _ **Next chapter, jealous Doctor, the power of love, and emotions are running high for our Time Lords. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews (I apologise again for how long it's taken to respond):**_

 _ **Guest 1:**_ _ **I think that if the Doctor had found the Hatter during season four, I think that there would have been a lot more tension between the Hatter and River, I can kind of see River as being maybe a little jealous of the Hatter and perhaps taking on more of a role that Rose had during her time. I can also imagine that the Doctor would feel very torn between his feelings for the Hatter and Rose, and I think that he probably would have found Rose returning to be very difficult for him due to that and it probably would have been very awkward. I can see Rose as being a lot more possessive over the Doctor and being openly upset towards the Hatter, who I think would find the whole thing very uncomfortable and I think that she would probably feel like she needs to take a step back. Over all, I think that the Hatter and River's relationship would probably be the biggest change, if the Hatter had come into the show during season four.**_

 _ **Guest 2:**_ _ **Yep, I certainly can and, once I have the time, will be very happy to do so. I think I will possibly make it as its own stand alone AU story with three chapters depicting a brief look into what would have happened had Nine, Eleven, and Twelve had found the Hatter instead of Ten. That's what I'm thinking anyway, do you have any preference to how you would like to see it done?**_

 _ **Guest 3:**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter had fought in the Time War, I don't think it would have ended well for her. I don't know, but I just don't really see her as surviving the Time War if she had been allowed to fight, I see her as possibly sacrificing herself to save someone else or getting captured then tortured by the Daleks and eventually killed.**_

 _ **Guest 4:**_ _ **I think that the Hatter would have been horrified if she had meet the Valeyard without the Doctor, I think she would have been very confused and would have been desperate to try and understand just what could have possibly have happened to her best friend to have made him into this person that, at the time, she couldn't recognise as being her best friend. I imagine that the Valeyard would probably try to use her as a means of getting to the Doctor, using the Hatter to try and lure him into a trap.**_

 _ **Guest 5:**_ _ **Yes, I do think that if the Hatter met the Valeyard in her current body, even towards the end of her previous body, I do think that she would be able to understand it and possibly even be able to see tiny glimpses of the Valeyard within him. I think that after everything that happened on Mars, that was the moment when it truly hit her and she was able to see the Valeyard there.**_

 _ **Guest 6:**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter had run away from the Time War at the very start, then I think that she would have done so by turning herself human, but I think it would have been different to the human life that she had as Emma Smith. I don't think she would have been happy, nor do I think she would have been working in a hospital or have had a human boyfriend. I think she would have been deeply ashamed of her actions once she opened her watch and would have felt as if she didn't have any right to continue calling herself the Hatter any more, or being the Doctor's friend. I think that, even though the Doctor would have understood, it would be something that she would struggle with greatly and would feel as if she was unworthy to be the person she was before she ran from the Time War. I mean, she will never forgive herself for not leaving with the Doctor when he asked her to at the end of the War, let alone try to forgive herself for completely deserting him for the entire War.**_

 _ **Guest 7:**_ _ **Hmm, if Rose had never gone to Pete's world, then I think that there would have been an eventual explosion that would have occurred between Rose and the Hatter. I think that Rose would have ended up getting more and more jealous watching the Doctor get closer to the Hatter and I think that the Hatter would have just gotten to the point of having enough of dealing with Rose and would have likely have snapped. I think that Rose probably would have tried to force the Doctor to choose between her and the Hatter, probably guilty him by throwing up the fact that she had no one else left but him. As for what the Doctor would do, I think he would have been incredibly angry that someone would try to force him to pick between two people that he cares about, but as for what he would have done, I'm not entirely sure. What do you think he would have done? I think he would probably throw Rose out in a fit of anger, but I think he would feel sorry for it later.**_

 _ **Guest 8:**_ _ **Oh, this is a hard one; my favourite Classic companion is Sarah Jane Smith, though I do have a certain fondness for Romana. My favourite New Who companions are probably Rory and Martha, Martha because I love the fact that she had her own career outside of the Doctor and Rory because he just seems like a very genuine person, I guess. Oh, but I do also like Bill, though I would have liked to see more of her then just one season before I can say that she's a favourite.**_

 _ **Guest 9:**_ _ **I write the stories that I want to read but just couldn't find, of course that's not to say that I haven't read a number of amazing Doctor Who OC stories out there, because I have, but none of them quite gave me what I was looking for all those years ago. I wanted a Time Lady that was fun and compassionate, who had gone to the Academy and was best friends with the Doctor. I wanted a Time Lady who had also had her own adventures and life that didn't revolve around the Doctor's adventures, someone who was equal to him, I guess you could say, because even though the Hatter was academically more gifted then him, they are equal (Or at least that's how I feel).**_

 _ **I'm not really sure if there was any inspiration for why I wrote the stories, if there was I've probably forgotten about it now, but the fact that I wanted to see a certain type of character within a certain type of story was the reason for why I began writing the stories in the first place. I wanted to try and bring a bit of fun and softness to the show in moments that I felt like it was missing, and the Hatter's character gave me that and allowed me to explore a relationship built completely on respect, trust, and equality, which are things that aren't always seen within romance novels, I'm very sorry to say.**_


	28. Chapter 28 Closing Time, Part 2

_**Closing Time, Part 2**_

The shop had shut, leaving the department store very quiet and empty feeling with all the lights dimly lit around the store, though it did mean that they would be able to sneak around more easily without being seen. The Doctor, the Hatter, and Craig were hidden behind the perfume and makeup counter in the woman's department with Craig hunched over the pram, desperately trying to make sure that Alfie stayed quiet. They listened closely as the sound of George's footsteps approached their hiding spot, out on his nightly patrol of the store, waiting until the sound of his footsteps passed the counter they were hiding behind and continued on passed them.

Carefully, the Hatter peered around the edge of the counter, watching as the heel of George's shoe disappeared around a corner of one of the aisles, "Alright, I think we're good," she whispered back to the others, glancing back to Craig and the Doctor, clasping a butterfly net in her hands, "Remember, quiet voices," she reminded them, lifting a finger up to her lips to emphasise her point.

The Doctor nodded, though she had been mainly speaking to Craig, and stood, helping the Time Lady up as Craig carefully pushed the pram along behind them, making sure not to bang into anything. The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, flashing it around, scanning the area.

"Okay," he murmured as they silently moved further out from behind the counter, "Let's be having you then, Cybermat".

Alfie began crying; not seeming to like the noise of the sonic screwdriver, and the Hatter winced sightly as the sound echoed through the department. Trying to sneak around with a baby really was proving to be very difficult, she couldn't help wondering whether or not they would have had this issue with Astra…she quickly cut off that train of thought, feeling a lump form in her throat and her eyes prickle hotly. Now was not the time to be thinking about such things.

"Shush!" Craig hurriedly tried to hush Alfie as he continued fussing, reaching in to place his hand comfortingly on Alfie's chest as he sent the Doctor a frown, "Can't you put that on quiet?"

"No!" the Doctor hissed back, glancing quickly at the device and back to him, "It's a _sonic_ screwdriver. Sonic equals sound…"

"Though, I ought to consider looking into it," the Hatter remarked softly, looking thoughtful as she cast her eyes around the darkened department. She almost gave herself a heart attack when she thought that one of the mannequins was moving, before she mentally slapped herself and reminded herself to stay focused.

"Aww, but I like the noise," he whined slightly, giving her a pout. She rolled her eyes fondly and lightly whacked his arm, making him smile slightly. He glanced back to Craig and suddenly clicked his fingers, as if he just remembered something, and used his free hand to reach into his inner coat pocket and pulling out a mess of straps, "Take this," he draped it over Craig's head, "I got it on my discount, ten percent off," his smile widened, looking almost proud of himself, "It's a papoose".

Craig blinked, looking down at the papoose that hung around his neck, looking more like a jumble of straps then anything, "Why do I need a papoose?" he asked, confused.

"Alfie wants you attached to him. You are _far_ too slow when he summons you".

"When's he going to stop giving me marks?"

The Hatter laughed, moving to try and help him to put the papoose on properly, seeing him looking a little confused, "Never going to stop, I'm afraid," she told him, "Like I said earlier, that's parenthood for you".

"Couldn't you have just got a babysitter?" the Doctor said as he crept along, still scanning the area, just as Alfie babbled something, "No, any babysitter," he shook his head as the Hatter glanced down into the pram, looking amused, "Doesn't have to be a hot one…" Alfie gargled, smiling up at the Time Lady, who laughed as the Doctor stopped and spun back around, pointing a stern finger at him, "And you leave my wife out of this, she's _mine_ ".

"Only you could get jealous over a baby, sweetheart," the Time Lady smiled, shaking her head at him as she looked back down to Alfie, "I'm afraid I'm a little old for you, Stormy, but I'm quite flattered".

Alfie cooeed, sticking his fist into his mouth. The Doctor turned back around and continued walking again, grumbling something to low for even the Hatter to pickup.

Craig sighed slightly, deciding to just move on, "I told everyone I know I didn't need their help this weekend," he informed them.

"Well…" the Doctor shrugged, thinking about just how desperate and stressed out Craig had been when they had first shown up on his doorstep.

"They won't even answer my calls. I didn't know there was going to be an invasion of Cybermen," Alfia began fussing again and he quickly tried hushing him, "Shh".

"Oh, it's okay," the Hatter tried soothing him too, leaning over the side of the pram, "There, there, no need to make so much noise. Craig, he wants you to pick him up".

Craig moved forward to carefully lift Alfie up out of the pram, gently shushing him as he cradled the baby against his chest, trying to pat his back comfortingly, when a faint beeping noise sounded from somewhere close by, catching the Doctor and the Hatter's attention. They looked up, just in time to see a small, silver rat-like robot scurrying across the ground towards them, making Craig gasp and hold Alfie tighter.

"Doctor, take the net," the Hatter ordered him in a hurried whisper, pushing the butterfly net into his hands.

The Doctor took it and, with a large leap forward, brought the net down on the robot, "Ah ha!" he shouted in delighted, before he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, realising that they were supposed to be being quiet.

The Time Lady frowned as she took a step forward, looking down at the Cybermat, "How very strange," she commented softly, glancing at the Doctor as he crouched beside the robot, "It really shouldn't have been that easy to capture. Perhaps it's low on power?" she suggested thoughtfully.

"Or I'm better at this than either of us remember," the Doctor said with a cheeky grin, playfully nudging her calf, before he quickly stopped as the feeling of her warm leg through her bright pink tights was just a little bit distracting to him right now.

She rolled her eyes, "Mind the ego, Doctor," she said lightly, a hint of fondness entering her tone.

He simply smiled and carefully picked up the Cybermat, which didn't appear to be about to attack, and rose to his full height to eye it quickly before moving to show it to Craig.

"Oh, is that it?" Craig asked with a small, slightly disappointed expression as he eyed the robot.

"That's it," the Hatter nodded, looking at the Cybermat warily. If she was the Doctor, she didn't think she would be so ready to handle that thing bare handed like that, but if it was running low on power…well, then, she supposed it couldn't do much.

"Oh, that's quite cute," he started smiling as the Doctor grinned in agreement, wiggling the Cybermat around, "Look at that. Look, Alfie…" he adjusted Alfie in his arms to bring him up so that he could see the Cybermat for himself, "Look...ahh!" he broke off with a loud cry of fear as the Cybermat suddenly opened its mouth, revealing rows of very sharp, pointed teeth, snapping them at him and Alfie. The Hatter jumped slightly and moved to tug Craig away from the Cybermat as the Doctor quickly flashed the sonic screwdriver at it, trying to deactivate it, "Metal rat, real mouth!" he shouted, almost hysterically as he pointed at the Cybermat, "Metal rat, real mouth! Metal rat, real mouth!"

"Yes, I know it is…" the Doctor nodded quickly, trying to get him to calm down by making soothing gestures with his hands

"…metal rat, real mouth! Metal rat, real mouth…!"

"Shh!" the Hatter hissed desperately, throwing a worried look over her shoulder, afraid that someone was going to hear them and come running at any moment.

"Stop screaming," the Doctor tried frantically as Craig continued shouting, repeating the same thing over and over again, his face growing redder and redder with panic, "Stop, stop screaming! Shh!" he held up a finger to his lips, just trying to get him to stop yelling.

Craig's mouth snapped shut, his eyes wide as the three of them stared back at each other for a moment, blissful silence falling over them, when…a horrible scream rang out in the distance, making them whirl around in the direction that George had gone in.

"Oh, no…George!" the Hatter gasped, horrified.

"Come on!" the Doctor took off running in the direction, the Hatter moving to follow after him, when she hesitated as she noticed that Craig hadn't moved. She looked back to see him struggling to try and put Alfie in the papoose and threw a quick look back towards the Doctor's quickly retreating back, feeling torn about what to do before she sighed heavily and moved to assist Craig.

"What…?" Craig blinked at her, looking startled as she took one of the straps out of his hand, "But the Doctor…"

"Is a grown man who doesn't require my constant supervision for everything," she cut across him, speaking very fast as she smoothly adjust the strap, making sure that it was secured properly and safely. Even still, she couldn't help throwing worried looks over her shoulder, feeling her concern for the Doctor and George's safety mounting with every second that she lingered behind with Craig, but she just kept reminding herself that this wasn't the first time that either of them had gone off running into a possibly dangerous situation without the other one being there, far from it. The Doctor knew what he was doing, or at least that's what she told herself to stop herself from fretting even more.

The moment that Craig had Alfie sitting in the papoose, the Hatter was already off and running in the same direction that the Doctor had gone, leaving Craig to try and following several paces behind her as she skidded across the slippery flooring and almost knocked into a display, but she didn't allow any of that to slow her down as she found a door that was marked, 'Basement. Employees Only'. She pushed through the door and dashed down a dimly lit, grey concrete hallway, not caring about how much noise her footsteps were making on the floor as she ran around a corner, finding the Doctor lying sprawled across the floor on his back with his sonic screwdriver still clasped in his hand, unconscious. There was no sign of George anywhere, save for a still lit torch that was lying on the ground a short distance away from where the Doctor was.

"Doctor!" she cried, feeling her hearts skip a beat as she dropped to her knees beside him, instantly pressing her left ear against his chest, feeling relief wash over her as she listened to his hearts beating strongly away, instantly calming her and assuring her that he would be fine. She knew that she would have known if he had died…she swallowed painfully at the thought, but being able to hear his hearts beating and knowing that he had just been knocked out was what she needed to see for herself to reassure her that he would be alright. She had already lost so much, the idea of losing the Doctor was just simply too much to even bare thinking about.

"Hatter!" Craig's voice echoed down the hallway from behind her, just as she lifted her head and placed her hand on the Doctor's cheek, "Hatter…" he rounded the corner, Alfie strapped to his chest. His eyes landed on the Doctor and he hurried forward, looking panicked for a moment, "Is he alright? What happened?"

"He's been knocked out," she told him, gently stroking the Doctor's cheek. She glanced up to the hallway that continued ahead of them, but she couldn't see anything lurking in the shadows, "I imagine the work of a Cyberman, it's a miracle he survived, really. It must have had a faulty arm or something".

Craig loomed over the Doctor, still looking quite concerned, "He's going to be alright, though?"

"A little confused at first, possibly. He'll probably have a sore head, but there won't be any permanent damage, thankfully," she smiled weakly, glancing back up to Craig's face, "I expect he'll probably use this as an excuse to get me to give him breakfast in bed or something for the next few days, however," she decided not to mention that she really wouldn't mind, not if it meant that the Doctor would be fine as she turned back to him, leaning over him, "Doctor, wakey -wakey!" she gently pattered his cheek, watching as he slowly started stirring, "Come on, sweetheart, you need to wake up for me".

Slowly, the Doctor's eyes flickered open and he looked a little startled and panicked for a second, before his expression cleared as he blinked up at the Hatter, seeming to realise that he was safe, "Hatter…?"

She grinned, dropping a quick kiss onto his forehead before gently easing him up, steadying him as he wobbled slightly, "You're going to be just fine, sweetheart," she assured him, watching him carefully once he was standing upright, blinking a little more than normal and looking a little dazed, though he appeared to be otherwise fine, "Doctor, what about George?" she asked in concern, though she already suspected what must have happened.

"The Cyberman…" the Doctor grimaced slightly, leaning heavily on her shoulder, so much so that she actually had to lean against the side of a wall to keep them both upright, "It killed George, took him back to the ship".

"Wait, hang on," Craig cut in, his eyes widening, "You said the Cybermen did this," he pointed between the Time Lords, apparently having caught onto that since his concern over the Doctor had faded, "I mean, the Cybermen are _here_? But you said…"

"Yeah, I know what I said," he shook his head, fumbling slightly to try and keep the sonic screwdriver still in his numb fingertips, bringing his arm up to try and scan the area. He didn't like having to lean so heavily on the Hatter like he was forced to right now, knowing that she was finding it difficult to take his weight, even if she wouldn't complain about it, but his legs didn't seem to want to listen to his brain at the moment. He sighed slightly, still scanning, "I say a lot of things. But I fused the teleport; it should have taken them days to repair".

"Well, they've obviously been very busy," the Hatter remarked with a tiny grimace that she was sure to hide from the Doctor, trying to adjust her shoulder to take his weight better. She eyed him carefully from the corner of her eye, "Tell me more about the Cyberman that attacked you, I'm assuming it must have been damaged. It's the only possibly reason for why you're still alive".

He nodded, pausing in his scanning to run his free hand down his face, "Made from old spare parts," he confirmed, lowering his hand from his face to meet her eyes, growing grim, "Must have changed those missing people," he gave his head a sharp shake, trying to shake off the groggy feeling that was left over from the whole incident.

Craig's mouth fell open in horror, "They've changed the missing into Cybermen?" he asked in alarm, staring back at the Doctor, "Why didn't they change you?"

"That's not really important right now," the Hatter replied, really not wishing to get into the whole reason right now.

"We're not exactly compatible," the Doctor gestured to himself the Hatter, before frowning deeply as he looked back to the Hatter, "But why are they using spare parts? _Why_?" he shook his head in frustration, "Everything we find out makes less sense".

"We need more data," she agreed, feeling just as frustrated as him. She felt like they didn't know anything about what was going on, they didn't know what the Cybermen were planning, save for the obvious, they didn't know for certain where they were hiding out, they didn't even know how many they were dealing with. For all they knew, it could just be one Cyberman to even a whole battle fleet.

"Doctor, Hatter, listen to me," Craig took a step towards them, looking very, very serious, "If the Cybermen are here, then we're not safe. We've got to go. We've got to go back to base".

"Base?" the Time Lady repeated, feeling completely confused.

"We've got a base?" the Doctor asked, breaking into an excited smile, "When did we get a base?"

….

Base, as it turned out, was Craig's house and the Time Lords happily settled themselves back into his kitchen, sitting at the messy table as the Doctor was busy mixing together an assortment of different things that he had found in the cupboards, pouring boiling water into the small mortar as he used a wooden spoon to crush the concoction, rather than using the actual pestle. The Hatter was sitting beside him, holding the apparently dormant Cybermat and examining it closely with a large magnifying glass that she had plucked out of her jacket pocket.

"I'm going down the shop," Craig announced as he moved to stand in the kitchen doorway, holding a pair of keys in his hand, having just put Alfie up in his crib, "We've run out of milk…" the Hatter shot the Doctor a pointed look, though he was so focused on his concoction that he didn't seem to notice, "You know what to do if he cries," he tossed the Hatter a mobile phone, who only just caught it, and turned to start heading off down the hallway.

The Doctor paused in his mixing, his head snapping up, "No!"

"Me neither!" Craig called back down the hallway, and a moment later they heard the front door opening and closing behind him.

The Hatter glanced at the Doctor, rolling her eyes as she sat the Cybermat down on the table, along with the magnifying glass, "Oh, honestly," she muttered, nudging his side with her elbow, "I'm quite certain that we both know how to handle an infant, Doctor".

He shifted slightly awkwardly, glancing at her, "If he needs a nappy changing…"

"Not it!" she called at once, grinning as he pouted. She leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to his cheek, though inwardly she was finding the idea of having to care for another person's child right now, while her own baby was being cared for by someone else, to be very difficult. She was trying very hard not to think about any of it to deeply, to try and keep her emotions separate, but it was proving to be difficult. She still felt as if she was betraying Astra by caring for another baby, which, while it was completely absurd to feel that way, she couldn't help it. She thought that the only chance to care for a child was gone when she said goodbye to Astra at Sarah Jane's all those long, long years ago, but here she was, placed in a position in which she might very well have to do just that.

"You're lucky I love you so much," he grumbled slightly, though the softness of his face told her that he was only joking. He lightly brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear and began to lean forward again, when a loud cry sounded from upstairs, breaking the moment. They both looked up at the ceiling, "Oh…" he looked back to the Hatter, biting his lip a little worriedly.

The Hatter sighed slightly, "Together?" she suggested hopefully. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to handle caring for another baby right now without the Doctor being there, she feared she might end up bursting into tears or something like that, just the sound of Alfie's crying was bringing back very tender memories for her as it was.

He gave her a long look, seeming to know just what she was thinking, and nodded as he pushed back his chair, "Together," he agreed, standing and holding out a hand for her to take, which she did gratefully. They made their way upstairs to Alfie's bedroom and peered around the edge of the doorway to see Alfie squirming slightly in the middle of his crib, but he stopped crying as he caught sight of them. A soft projection of the moon and stars had been set up, moving across the ceiling and the walls, "Hello, Stormageddon," he greeted him as they stepped around the door and into the room, "It's the Doctor and the Hatter. Here to help," he picked up a small toy rabbit and tried wiggling it over Alfie.

"Hush, now," the Hatter said soothingly, moving across to the side of the crib as Alfie started fussing again, not seeming to be very interested in the toy. She reached into the crib and took his small hand, gently rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, hoping the gesture might sooth him, "You really ought to be sleeping now, you know," she continued softly, sighing slightly as he started crying again, shaking her hand away, "Oh, now, there's really no need for all of that".

"She's right," the Doctor moved to lean over the side of the crib beside her, smiling gently as he glanced back across to the Hatter, "Though, she usually is," he gave her a little wink, making her shake her head at him in amusement, before looking back down to Alfie, who had quietened, "You've got a lot to look forward to, you know," he told him, still smiling, "A normal human life on Earth. Mortgage repayments, the nine to five, a persistent nagging sense of spiritual emptiness…"

"Seriously?" the Time Lady raised her eyebrows at him, keeping her voice low, "You're going with spiritual emptiness right now to try and sooth a baby?"

"It's working, isn't it?" he whispered back with a shrug, turning back to Alfie, who did seem to be listening to everything that they were saying, no longer fussing, "Save the tears for later, boy-o. Oh, no," he groaned slightly, reaching up to rub his eyes with a small grimace, "That was crabby. No, that was old," he dropped his hand, looking tiredly back up to the Hatter, who looked sympathetic, "But I…we are old, Stormy. We're so old," he sighed and ducked his head, "So near the end…"

The Hatter closed her eyes briefly, releasing a long breath. She felt so tired, it felt like she hadn't slept, truly slept, in centuries, which was partly true because whenever she did sleep lately all she seemed to ever dream about was the same thing: Astra being found and stolen away, despite all of their best efforts, and turned against them and into a weapon. Everything was coming to end now, she could feel it closing in around them, almost suffocating them, but she just wanted to find some peace now.

She didn't think she could keep living like this for very much longer, constantly tormented by being away from her daughter, constantly thinking about her and what she might be doing right now, constantly feeling terrified that they had made a terrible mistake. She didn't want to die, she didn't have a death wish, far from it, in fact she longed for more than anything else then to be able to see her daughter grow up, but that wouldn't be possible, regardless of what happened and at least death would mean some sort of peace because this…this so called half-life that she felt like she and the Doctor had been living for all these centuries, this wasn't living, this was hell. She didn't know what death would be like, but it surely had to be better than this.

The Doctor stared down at Alfie for a long moment before he slowly reached into the crib, pausing as he glanced back to the Hatter, "The last time I…" he trailed off, swallowing hard as his eyes filled with tears. The last time he had held a baby in his arms had been his daughter, handing her over to Sarah Jane for the last time, and now…he was about to pick up another child, one that wasn't his own and most certainly not his daughter.

"I know," she nodded, tears already filling her eyes and falling down her cheeks. She sniffed, using the cuff of her sleeve to roughly wipe her cheeks dry, "But it doesn't change anything, does it?" she said softly, "Just because we're here with another child, doesn't mean that how we feel is lessoned in anyway, right?"

"No," he said at once, forcing a strained smile, "It doesn't change anything. Astra…she's being raised by the best possible people we could have chosen, being here with another baby doesn't mean we've…forgotten her".

"Exactly," she breathed, somehow feeling better to hear him saying it. It wasn't just her that was struggling with this, but him as well.

He looked back into the crib and, taking a deep breath, slowly lifted Alfie up into his arms, cradling him against his chest. He felt the tears that threatened to break free before slip down his cheek, remembering how he had held Astra like this, how he used to cradle her in his arms while he told her stories about their old adventures before bedtime, how Astra fit so perfectly within the crook of his arm and would stare up at him with her baby blue eyes, so intelligent as they took in everything with a curiosity that shouldn't be possible for a baby.

This should be him with Astra right now, back in the TARDIS in the nursery that he had spent so long putting together as a surprise for the Hatter, telling her a wonderful story about one of his past adventures until she fell asleep in his arms and he would look up to see the Hatter standing in the doorway, smiling softly with her hat back on her head and probably making a remark about how Astra had him wrapped around her little finger already. That was how it was meant to be, but instead he was standing in an unfamiliar nursery, cradling a human baby in his arms, babysitting. This was not how the story was supposed to go, he had missed out on the chance to be a proper father the first time round, now he couldn't even be a father at all the second time.

"You, Alfie Owens," he began, adjusting Alfie in his arms so that he could see over his shoulder, desperately trying to fight back the tears. He noticed the Hatter wiping tears away from beneath her own eyes, looking as if she was barely containing a sob, "You are so young, aren't you?" he looked at Alfie's face, giving him a small, strained smile, "And, you know, right now, everything's ahead of you. You could be anything," Alfie gargled, reaching up to rub his eyes as the Doctor light bounced him in his arms, "Yes, I know," he nodded, "You could walk among the stars".

"Of course, they don't look like this," the Hatter remarked, and pointed up to the stars being projected on the walls and ceiling, "No, they're far more impressive and beautiful to witness then this".

The Doctor carefully adjusted Alfie in his arms and reached into his pocket, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and flashing it over his shoulder to the projection device. Instantly, the projection became far more realistic with the room filling with the projection of an entire galaxy of stairs, glittering and blinking as they looked up to admire the display, smiling broadly.

"Yeah!" he grinned at Alfie as he cooed, enjoying the show, "You know, when I was little like you, I dreamt of the stars…"

"We both did," the Time Lady murmured, her smile growing slightly sad as she thought about it. She never imagined that she would have done the half the things she had done all those centuries ago, both the good and the terrible.

He meet her eyes, exchanging an understand look, "And I think it's fair to say, in the language of your age, that we lived our dreams," he continued softly, his eyes resting on the Hatter, "In my case, even the one's I hardly dared imagine might come true," he gave her a gentle smile as she returned it, looking quite touched, before he looked back to Alfie, "And we gave it one hundred and ten percent. I hope you have as much fun and find that one special person like I did, Alfie," he hesitated slightly, before pressing a light kiss on top of his head, swallowing back the grief and pain he felt just by doing the gesture to another child.

The Hatter wiped her cheeks dry again, smiling slightly watery as she took a step closer to take Alfie's hand again, his tiny fingers wrapping around her index finger, "You really ought to be a bit gentler on your father," she told him, "He's trying his best in a situation that is _very_ daunting".

Alfie let out a drawn out squeal.

"Yes, I know it's not his fault he doesn't have mammary glands," the Doctor commented, and Alfie gargled again, "No, neither do I! And don't even think about the Hatter, because she's…"

"Standing right here, Doctor," the Time Lady cut in with a stern look, narrowing her eyes on him.

He gave her a sheepish look, "Sorry, dear," he said hurriedly, before slowly frowning as the Hatter also blinked, a troubled expression crossing her face as they both tensed, "Alfie…" he began hastily, "Why is there a sinister beeping coming from behind me?"

Slowly, he and the Hatter both turned towards the doorway as a loud beeping sounded throughout the room, finding the Cybermat on the floor by the edge of the door, looking very much alive and with its mouth wide open, snapping its rows of very sharp teeth threateningly at them.

"Okay…" the Hatter breathed, staring down at the robot with wide eyes, "That's just cheating".

The Doctor tightened his grip protectively around Alfie, glaring at the Cybermat as it continued chopping its metal jaw, "Oh, no you don't," he aimed the sonic screwdriver at it, making it spark violent, "Come on, Alfie. Run! It's only stunned!"

The Hatter, for good measure, kicked the Cybermat out of the way of the door as they took off running out of the nursery, the Doctor having to move very carefully as they went down the narrow staircase with Alfie still held firmly in his arms, the Hatter right behind them as she kept glancing back over her shoulder with each step that they took, worried that the Cybermat might recover before they could get Alfie to safety. They made it down to the hallway and hurried through into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Alfie," the Time Lady said as they ran through the kitchen, trying very hard to keep her voice level and calm, "Everything is going to be just fine, I promise and I always keep my promises," she quickly moved forward to try and help the Doctor to unlatch the back door as he struggled with it, just as the beeping noise sounded again from behind them, making them look back over their shoulders, "It's coming," she muttered tensely, quickly pushing the door open and dashing out into the small courtyard outside, closing the door behind them. She sighed in relief, looking to the Doctor, "Better lock it…" she trailed off, seeing him biting her lip and looking slightly nervous, "Doctor, what did you do?"

"Um…" he cringed slightly, one hand still tightly holding the doorknob, and pointed back through the window to where the sonic screwdriver was lying on a pile of blankets and clothing by the door, inside the kitchen. He met her eyes, "Oops?"

She closed her eyes tightly, groaning loudly. Of all the times for him to have dropped the sonic screwdriver, this had to be one of the worst. She knew she ought to have insisted that he pass Alfie over to her, but they just hadn't had time back inside the house and had been too worried about getting outside to think about that. And then something else occurred to her, Craig was supposed to be back very soon, instantly her eyes snapping open in alarm.

"Oh, no!" she gasped, "Craig!" she frantically started patting her pockets down, finally fishing the phone that Craig had given to them before he had left, dialling Craig's mobile number and lifting it up to her ear, "Come on, pick up, Craig," she mumbled, resisting against the urge to start pacing, "Come on, come, come on…" there was a beep on the other end and a voice instructing her to leave a message, "Craig, don't panic! We have Alfie and he's perfectly safe, but you _mustn't_ go inside the house!"

"Doctor!" a strangled voice shouted from within the house, making the Time Lords freeze and look at each other in alarm, "Hatter!"

They whirled around, only to see that Craig was inside the kitchen on the floor on his back, struggling to hold back the Cybermat with both his hands as it tried snapping its jaws at his throat.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor cried frantically as the Hatter slipped the phone back inside her pocket.

"Help me!"

"Baby, give me!" the Hatter ordered, moving to take Alfie from the Doctor's arms as he quickly passed him over to her. She carefully bounced the baby in her arms, trying to keep him as calm as possible as she looked back through the window of the kitchen door to where Craig was still fighting against the Cybermat, before glancing at the Doctor, who was spitting on his hands and rubbing them together, shifting himself side to side. He flashed the Hatter a very quick grin and took off running towards the door, using the edge of the garden to spring himself forward and through the glass door, shattering it completely as he landed in a crouch in the kitchen, absently brushing glass out of his hair, "Okay," she said quietly, "That was pretty cool…" she paused, glancing down at Alfie, "And if you dare tell anyone I said that, we're no longer friends, got it?"

Alfie cooed, smiling widely at her. She shook her head, the edge of her mouth turning up as she moved to stand in the shattered doorway, glass crunching beneath her shoes as she watched worriedly, protectively holding Alfie close to her chest.

"Where's Alfie?" Craig was asking urgently, still fighting to hold back the Cybermat as the Doctor moved to try and help him, "Where's Alfie?"

"I've got him!" the Hatter told him quickly, raising her voice to be heard, "He's safe, Craig, he's _safe_!"

"Get it off me!"

The Doctor moved to grab his sonic screwdriver and hurried back over to Craig, fiddling with the settings on the device as he stood over Craig withering around on the floor, "I think I can find the right frequency, shut it down!"

"Kill it!"

"You don't have a choice, Doctor!" the Hatter called as she cradled Alfie's head against her shoulder, trying to stop him from seeing Craig struggling on the floor. It was really the only thing that they could do right now, even if it meant wiping the Cybermat's memory, but it was either that or risk Craig's life.

The Doctor groaned loudly, "Alright, alright, alright!" he conceded, knowing that she was right and that, while it was very inconvenient for their plans, it had to be done, for Craig's sake. He moved closer to Craig and grabbed a metal pot off the table, raising it above Craig, "Move!" he brought the pot down onto the Cybermat, sending it skidding across the floor, giving Craig the chance to pull himself up off the floor, but the Cybermat wasn't finished and it leaped at the Doctor, mere inches away from his throat, "Argh!"

"Doctor!" the Time Lady gasped, desperately wishing she could just run into the room and try and help him hold the Cybermat off him, but she couldn't with Alfie, she wouldn't dare risk him.

"Baking tray, Craig!" the Doctor shouted, shaking with the effort to try and keep the Cybermat off his neck, "Baking tray!" he managed to throw the Cybermat off him and onto the ground beside him, just as Craig came running back over to him with a large baking tray, covering it and holding it before it could leap at one of them again as the Doctor pulled himself up onto his feet, "Hold it down!" he instructed him, fumbling with his sonic screwdriver.

"Get on with it!" Craig yelled, just trying to keep the tray firmly over the Cybermat.

"Ah, it must be shielded from metastatic energy! Of course!" he reached up to face palm his forehead.

"Yeah, of course!"

"No need for the sarcasm, thanks," the Hatter remarked with a small amused smile.

"Don't worry," the Doctor went on, "I have an app for that," he grinned and hit one of the settings on the sonic screwdriver, aiming it towards the tray, "Stand back. Stand back!" Craig leaped backwards across the floor, taking the tray with him as the Doctor activated the sonic on the Cybermat, making it spark badly and smoke slightly, before stilling completely. He moved forward to pick it up as Craig panted, leaning against the cupboard doors, "Success. That was amazing," he pointed at Craig, who slowly started to climb onto his feet, "You must be really, really strong. That thing should have had you easily".

"Wonderful work, gentlemen," the Time Lady smiled widely, carefully stepping over the broken door and moving across the shattered glass, Alfie still held firmly in her arms.

Craig eyed the Cybermat warily, "Is it definitely dead?" he asked breathlessly.

"Inactive, yes," the Doctor nodded, looking a little out of breath and tired himself, "Technically never been alive. It was 'playing possum' before, to take us by surprise. Bravo," he looked back to Craig and began clapping, very impressed by the man's strength.

Craig broke into a slightly embarrassed smile, before his eyes landed on Alfie and he quickly moved to take his son, "Alfie," he breathed in relief as the Hatter passed him over, hugging Alfie close to his chest and closing his eyes as he placed a kiss on top of his head.

"He's fine," the Time Lady assured him, stepping beside the Doctor, who happily took her hand as they watched father and son together, "I would never allow anything to happen to him, Craig".

He nodded, opening his eyes to give her a grateful look, "Thank you".

She simply smiled a little sadly and glanced at the Doctor, before they both wordlessly began to try and clean up some of the broken glass before someone ended up getting hurt. Seeing Craig with his son, while very touching was also a very painful reminder of just what they were missing out on right now. This adventure truly was turning out to be far more difficult then either of them could have predicted.

….

Craig paced up and down the living room, carrying Alfie in his arms as he went, the baby having cried whenever any of them had tried putting him back into his crib and so, they had simply given up, the excitement of everything apparently keeping him wide awake, though the same couldn't quite be said for Craig, who kept yawning and rubbing at his eyes. The Hatter was sitting on the sofa beside the Doctor, the two of them working together to pull the Cybermat apart with several tools scattered across the coffee table before them within easy reach, fiddling with wires within the robot and bits and pieces.

"I'm knackered," Craig said, just as he did another large yawn. He stopped behind the sofa that the Time Lords where sitting on, watching them work as he lightly bounced Alfie in his arms, "That thing was eating the electricity?" he frowned at the Cybermat.

"Yep," the Hatter nodded, not looking up from a wire that she was carefully examining, "And then it would transmit the energy that it had consumed back to the Cybership".

"But _why_?" the Doctor wondered aloud, lifting his head up from where he had been fiddling with a normal screwdriver, looking thoughtfully to the Time Lady, "Why do they need power? Why are those conversions not complete yet, and what are they doing up there?"

She sighed heavily, "It still feels like we're only working with half the information," she commented, frowning deeply, "Something I very much dislike doing. Who knows what vital information we might be missing that could solve all of this easily?"

"Believe me, dear, I fully understand your frustration," he agreed, looking very serious, "Hopefully, this…" he pointedly pointed the screwdriver at the Cybermat, "Will tell us everything we need to know".

Craig looked between them, "You said you were going to look at its brain," he reminded them.

"No, I had to wipe its brain," he told him, shaking his head with a small sigh, "Now we can reprogram it and use it as a weapon against them".

Craig sat down on the other side of the Hatter, looking across to them, "The Cybermat came after us?"

"Not quite," the Time Lady looked back to him, her expression growing grim, "It was after the Doctor and I, not _you_ ," she looked away from him, closing her eyes briefly, feeling the weight of what danger they had placed Craig and Alfie in hanging over her head, the horrible guilt of it, "You and Alfie…you were placed in danger due to being around the Doctor and I, Craig".

"That's what happens to the people around us," the Doctor said quietly, lowering the ordinary screwdriver in his hands, not looking at Craig as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the wall ahead of him, "Because of us, you and Alfie nearly died," he glanced at the Hatter, who reached out to take his hand, entwining her fingers with his. There was a brief pause before he slowly looked back over to Craig, frowning slightly, "Do you still feel safe with us, Craig?"

"You can't help who your mates are," Craig replied casually, not seeming to be the slightest bit concerned about any of it.

"No," he shook his head, his voice firm as he looked away from him again, "I am stupid, selfish man," he glanced back to the Hatter, his expression softening , "Always have been," he murmured softly, just what lengths would he go to in order to protect the Hatter? Not even he knew, but he suspected that there wasn't a limit, not when it came to her, even if he knew that she wouldn't like to hear him talking like that. But it was the truth, he had always been selfish when it came to her, always wanted to spend more time with her when they had been at school, always felt jealous whenever the Master got to study with her without him or she would do a project with someone else. Even now, as an adult and married, all he wanted to do was to be the one person who could make her smile and laugh, even if she would probably roll her eyes at him and tell him that he was being absurd if she knew that. He sighed heavily, looking away from her before she could read his thoughts on his face, "I should have made you go, Craig," he continued, giving himself a sharp shake to clear his head, "We should never have come here".

Craig laughed slightly, adjusting Alfie so that he was lying on his chest, "What would have happened if you hadn't come?" he said lightly, "Who else knows about Cybermen and teleports?"

"There are people out there who could have fixed this," the Hatter said with a small shrug, thinking about UNIT. She sighed heavily, looking back to the Doctor, "Wherever we go, people are always in danger because of us, we can't even protect…" she trailed off, thinking about Astra and what lengths they had been forced to go to in order to ensure her safety.

"Stop beating yourselves up. If it weren't for you two, this whole planet would be an absolute ruin".

The Doctor sat the ordinary screwdriver down in his lap and sat forward slightly, staring off at the wall across from them, his expression grave. He tightened his grip on the Hatter's hand as she shifted closer to his side, leaning her head against his shoulder, trying to give him as much support as she could without actually saying anything, but he knew, he knew what she was doing and was grateful for it.

"Craig…" he began slowly, needing to say it, needing to tell someone, "Very soon we won't be here…our time is running out. I don't mean Exedor," he shook his head, his voice soft, "Silence will fall when the question. Don't even know what the question is. I always knew I'd die still asking…" the Hatter smiled weakly, squeezing his hand comfortingly, "Thing is, Craig, it's…its tomorrow. Can't put it off any more. Tomorrow is the day we…" he trailed off as he looked over to Craig, only to find him fast asleep with Alfie snoozing away on his chest, "Ah…" he breathed out a long breath, smiling gently at the sight.

The Hatter laughed quietly, finding the sight to be quite adorable, if a little bittersweet for them to have to witness, "I think that's our cue to leave, sweetheart," she whispered to the Doctor, moving to stand.

The Doctor's eyes lingered on Craig and Alfie for a moment, a wistful expression on his face before he cleared his throat and also rose, starting to collect up the Cybermat, while the Hatter grabbed a blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and carefully placed it over Craig and Alfie. With everything they would need, the Time Lords quietly left the living room and headed into the kitchen to continue their work, leaving father and son to sleep peacefully.

…

It was morning by the time that the Doctor and the Hatter had finished working on the Cybermat, the Doctor writing a quick note to Craig in silver ink on a blue piece of paper, sticking it onto the fridge so that Craig would easily find it once he had woken, the note reading, 'Dear Craig. Gone to stop Cybermen. Sorry. Goodbye,' followed by another line beneath that in neat, cursive handwriting, 'P.S. Don't follow us, don't you dare. Love, Hatter'. With their note pinned to the fridge, the Time Lords silently slipped down the hallway, passed the living room door, and out through the front door. Birds were chirping cheerfully and there was a faint pinkish glow in the sky. The Doctor was carrying the Cybermat and a remote control in his hands.

"Don't forget to put the safe mode on," the Hatter reminded him, keeping her voice low, still a little worried about waking Craig up before they had a chance to get a good head start on him, or preferably finished dealing with the Cybermen completely.

"Ah, yes, dear," he nodded quickly, fiddling with one of the controls on the remote, before a quiet beeping noise sounded from the Cybermat, making them both break into small smiles, "Safe mode," he remarked, looking back up to her with a proud look, "Thanks to my clever wife".

She raised her eyebrows, amused, "You do realise that I'm the only one here, don't you, sweetheart? You don't actually have to remind me that it was my idea".

He coughed, looking slightly embarrassed as he made a point to pretend to be adjusting something on the controls, "Yes, well, I think we're ready to get going," he said a little to eagerly, clearing his throat as he held out his hand to her, which she took with a smile, "Come along, Bitey," he glanced briefly down to the robot in his hand as, before they set off down the garden path and out onto the footpath.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter made their way back to the department store, heading straight up to the ladies department, pausing briefly in the middle of one of the aisles, the Doctor spinning around on the spot to get a better look around the place, forcing the Hatter to do the same thing, since their hands were still entwined.

"Morning!" Val greeted them with a bright smile as she walked towards them, still wearing her coat and carrying her handbag.

"Oh, hello," the Hatter gave her a slightly distracted smile, her mind off busy thinking about the Cybermen.

"Morning," the Doctor said absently, still trying to look around over all the racks of clothing that surrounded them. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, ready to use it at any moment, "Teleports still fused," he began speaking aloud, finding it helped to keep him focused, "They didn't repair it," he and the Hatter started walking along beside Val, who gave them a slightly confused look, listening to him rambling, "So, the Cyberman last night, how did he get down here, how did it get out? And why… _why_ am I asking you?" he frowned slightly and pointed at Val, looking quite confused.

The Time Lady smiled at him, patting his arm as Val just looked even more confused, "Going a bit senile in our old age, are we?" she said cheekily.

He turned his finger onto her instead of Val, narrowing his eyes, "I am _not_ old!"

"Yes, you are, you even said so yourself last night," she smirked teasingly, leaning closer to his side, "But forgetfulness is to be expected, I suppose".

"I…you…" he opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before huffing, "Oh, shut up".

"Not a chance, sweetheart, it's my job to try and lighten the mood and tease you".

"Well, you certainly have fun doing just that," he muttered, though it was said with fondness.

Val shook her head slightly, smiling at them, "You found that silver rat?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned again, looking off into the distance as the Hatter also grew serious, "But where are the silver men?" he said, and without waiting to hear her response, he and the Hatter set off through the department and over to the woman's changing rooms, "Secondary teleport?" he suggested as they reached the entrance of the hallway.

"No," the Hatter shook her head at once, looking thoughtful as they walked down the short hallway of the changing rooms, "We would know if there was another teleport being used, so they must be using some sort of backup system to get around".

"Something complicated," he nodded, thinking it over as they walked, "Something powerful, something shielded. Something like…" he and the Hatter both looked at each other as they reached end of the hallway, realisation hitting them both, "…a door," they both looked across to the changing room beside them with the curtain still pushed open from the day before, eyeing the large mirror on the wall facing them, "A door!"

The Time Lady moved forward to examine the mirror and wall, running her hands over the mirror, "Oh, that's clever," she breathed, feeling quite excited as she looked back to the Doctor, "It's a disillium bonded steel door that they've gone and disguised as a ordinary wall"

He moved to stand beside her, making the small changing room quite tight as he eyed the wall, "That is cheating," he huffed in annoyance.

She laughed, nodding in agreement, "It most certainly is".

He glanced at her and smiled slightly, before he turned back to the wall and reached out to slip his fingertips along the edge of the mirror, making it swing forward to reveal a long, dark, roughly carved tunnel hidden behind it, "So…it didn't teleport _down_ ," he commented as he looked down the tunnel, though they couldn't make out anything through the dark, "It climbed _up_ ".

"Blimey, we're getting a bit slow, aren't we?" the Hatter sighed, feeling quite stupid for not having figured it out sooner, for not even considering that they might be underground, though she supposed that it was the most logical leap to assume that the Cybership must be in the sky above them, "I feel like the Cybermen are getting far too clever for their own good…I don't like it".

"Now you know how I feel about redecorating," he muttered casually, pretending to be examining the tunnel. She looked at him, her eyes narrowing and sharply elbowed his side, making him wince and quickly rub the spot, "Sorry, dear, couldn't help myself".

"Nor could my elbow," she flashed him a sweet smile, making a seeping gesture towards the tunnel, "Age before beauty, sweetheart?"

"There's only four months between us".

"You're still older," she shrugged, still smiling at him.

He shook his head and slowly stepped up into the tunnel, pausing to look down it to check that it was clear before he grabbed his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began to continue moving slowly down the narrow and roughly built tunnel, scanning as he went, while the Hatter followed close behind him, both trying hard to avoid knocking their heads against the tree roots and bits of rock that were sticking out from the sides and roof of the tunnel. It wasn't long, however, before they were forced to start moving on their hands and knees as the roof of the tunnel dropped down, the Doctor sticking his sonic screwdriver back inside his pocket as they went carefully, getting dirt on their hands and clothing.

The tunnel ended in a slight decline, which they slide down and quickly looked up to find themselves standing in a very large cravenness space beneath the surface, looking across to where a large, badly damaged looking Cybership was stuck into the very rock itself, the lights flickering and the metal work looking rusted in places. The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look, before they began to set off across to the open door of the ship, easily slipping inside without even seeing a single Cyberman standing on guard and moving carefully through the corridors, on edge as they waited to be discovered at any moment. They made their way to a close sliding door, which opened as they stepped before it to reveal the conversion room of the ship, which looked just as battered as the rest of the ship.

The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out, flashing it around the room as the Hatter carefully peered around, checking to make sure that it was empty. He whistled as he read the results on the sonic, "Well, well, well," he commented, taking the Hatter's hand as they eyed what appeared to be a deactivated Cyberman suit standing in the corner of the room, while several other similar suits were also locked away inside chambers around the room, "You have been busy".

"Doctor," the Hatter said suddenly, letting go of his hand to move across the room, bending down to pick up a plastic covered nametag that had been partly buried in the dirt that covered the floor. She wiped the dirt of it as she straightened, sighing heavily, "Oh, dear. It's George's," she told him, looking up from the nametag, just in time to see a Cyberman march into the doorway behind the Doctor, who slowly turned around to face it, hearing its noisy steps.

"You have come to us," the Cyberman stated.

The Time Lady moved to stand beside the Doctor, taking his hand as they faced it, "We've been a bit slow," she remarked, trying hard to seem completely calm and relaxed, "Took us a little while to figure things out, though, in our defence, we do have quite a bit going on".

"Let's see," the Doctor began, casting his eyes around the battered room, "This ship crashed here centuries ago. No survivors, but the systems are dormant, waiting for power, and then the council stick a load of new cables right on top of you".

"That then wakes up our little friend here," she continued, pulling the Cybermat out of her jacket pocket, wiggling it pointedly, "The Cybermat starts channelling the power, just as its supposed to do, and you get to work trying to form a new crew by using the people from the shop above us. _But_ …" she held up a finger, dragging the word out slightly, "The problem is that you don't have enough power still, not enough parts to do the job".

"When we are ready, we will emerge," the Cybermat said, "We will convert this planet to Cyberform".

"What, the six of you?" the Doctor scoffed slightly.

"You know that is enough. You know us. You are the Doctor and the Hatter".

"Well done," the Hatter nodded, giving it a sarcastic little smile, "Someone's been doing their homework, haven't they?"

The Doctor retrieved his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, tossing it up into the air and catching it again, not taking his eyes off the Cyberman, "And you'll know that the Doctor and the Hatter always gives you a choice," he said lightly, "Deactivate yourself, or we deactivate you," he pointed the sonic at it, aimed directly at its chest and it took a step back, but…a second Cyberman stepped into the room from the doorway behind them.

The Hatter glanced back to it, just as a third Cyberman also marched into the room, "Okay," she muttered, glancing at the Doctor, "This wasn't quite part of the plan".

The Time Lords edged closer to each other as the newly arrived Cybermen began to approach them, one grabbing the Doctor and the third grabbing the Hatter, making them cry out painfully as their arms were forced roughly behind their backs, making the Hatter drop the Cybermat onto the floor with a loud clatter. There was no way for them to even try to fight back, the Cybermen were far too strong, nor could trying to kick their shins work, since they wouldn't actually feel any pain. They were more likely to end up hurting themselves more trying to fight against their hold.

"One of them must be the new leader," the second Cyberman spoke, firmly holding the Doctor in place.

"No," the first Cybermen said, briefly considering both Time Lords, "They are not like us. Brain and binary vascular system incompatible. They will be discarded. Other body parts may be of use".

"Oi, Cybermen!" a voice called from the doorway, making them look up, startled, to find Craig standing in the doorway with what appeared to be a barcode reader held in his hands, like a gun. He aimed the device up at the first Cyberman, which turned around to face him, "Get off my planet, or I activate this".

"Craig, what the hell are you doing?" the Hatter exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock as she looked between Craig and the Cybermen.

"Craig, stop this!" the Doctor tried ordering him, unable to believe what he was witnessing, "Get out!"

"It's like you said, Doctor, Hatter. Got to believe you can do it!"

" _You_ located us?" the first Cyberman questioned, taking a step towards him, considering Craig.

"Yeah," Craig nodded, doing quite a good job of acting as if he wasn't afraid, while the Hatter shook her head urgently, desperately wishing that he would just stop talking and leave, "Teleport in the lift, bit rubbish. And that little Cybermat never stood a chance. So you see what you're dealing with?"

"No, no, no, no…" the Time Lady breathed, closing her eyes tightly. This was very, very far from being even remotely good; Craig couldn't have said anything worse than that.

"You are compatible," the Cyberman declared, "You are intelligent," it lifted its fist up to its chest before shooting out a bright blue bolt of energy towards Craig, hitting him. Craig cried out in pain and dropped the barcode reader, while a fourth Cyerman emerged from out of the shadows behind him, grabbing him and forcing him forwards.

"Agh!" Craig groaned loudly in pain, trying to fight against the Cyberman's hold, but it was useless. He looked quickly looked back to the first Cyberman, "No, I'm not intelligent! You don't want me!"

"Do not fear. We will take your fear from you. You will be like us. You will be more than us," it turned and marched across to one of the conversion chambers, opening it.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Stop this!" the Hatter shouted at the Cybermen, for all the good she knew it would do, but she couldn't just let this happen without fighting. She tried struggling against the Cyberman holding her, but it only caused her pain as its metal fingers stayed firm against her arms, leaving bruises.

The first Cyberman stepped back from the conversion chamber once it had been prepared, "Your designation is CyberController," it turned towards Craig, "You will lead us. We will conquer this world".

The Cyberman holding Craig began pushing him towards the chamber, while Craig desperately tried digging his heels in, but it was useless, "Doctor!" he cried, still struggling, "Hatter!"

"Craig!" the Doctor and the Hatter tried twisting, trying to get free from the Cybermen holding them, forced to watch as Craig was forced to sit in the chamber.

"Do something, please!" he yelled frantically, just as metal clamps locked down over his arms and legs, trapping him in place as the chest plate of a Cyberman was placed over his chest, "DOCTOR! HATTER!"

"Craig, don't worry," the Doctor told him hurriedly, still trying to pull away from the Cyberman, "We've reprogrammed their Cybermat, it'll drain their power!" he somehow managed to reach into his pocket and pulled out the remote control for the Cybermat, activating the robot, making it scuttle across the floor…just before the first Cyberman stepped on it, destroying it.

"No!" the Hatter gasped, almost going limp as she stared down at the broken Cybermat. That had been their one and only chance to end all of this, to be able to save Craig, and now they had nothing. They couldn't save Craig.

"You have failed, Doctor, Hatter," the first Cyberman turned towards them, "Begin conversion," it commanded another Cyberman, "Phase one. Cleanse the brain of emotions".

"No!" the Doctor looked frantically back over to Craig, his eyes wide with horror, "Craig, fight it!"

"You have to fight back with everything you have, Craig!" the Hatter urged him desperately, "You're so strong, you can stop them from converting you, but you have to _fight_!"

"Don't give in to it!"

Craig's face was scrunched up with pain, "Help me!"

"Think about Sophie and Alfie!" the Hatter said at once, "Imagine your family, Craig, imagine you're with them right now and let everything you feel for them fill you up, use that to fight back! They're your family, you're entire world, don't ever allow _anything_ to take that from you, fight for _them_!"

"Make it stop," he begged, pain written across his face, "Please, make it stop!"

"Please, listen to us," the Doctor tried, "We believe in you! We believe you can do this! We've always believed in all of you, all of our lives," he licked his lips frantically, his mind racing, just trying to find a way to try and help encourage Craig to keep fighting and not give up, "We're going to die, Craig," he blurted out, half hoping that the shock of that information would get through to him, "Tomorrow, the Hatter and I are going to die, we're going to leave behind our own daughter who'll never even know us, but I don't mind dying if you just prove us right!" it wasn't completely true, he would give anything to live and be there to see his daughter grow up, but he would say anything just to try and keep Craig fighting. He swallowed, hard, when the Cyberman's helmet started to close around Craig's head, "CRAIG!"

"Craig, please!" the Hatter cried, practically crying with desperation, not caring about how many bruises she got as she struggled forward against the Cyberman's hold. She could only watch, horrified as the helmet completely closed over his face, welding itself shut straight down the middle of the helmet, "No, please, Craig! FIGHT!"

"Begin full conversion," the first Cyberman commanded, and the Doctor and the Hatter lowered their heads, defeated as they realised that it was over. They had lost and now Craig and his family had payed the price, because they hadn't been strong enough to force him to walk away earlier. The machinery activated, starting the full conversion process, when a monitor on the wall on the side of the room flickered on, showing security video from the shop above them of Val standing in the women's wear department, cradling Alfie as he cried loudly, the sound echoing over the speaker and filling the room.

"Unknown soundwave detected," the second Cyberman announced, looking across to the screen, still keeping a hold on the Doctor. The Time Lords heads snapped up, feeling their hearts breaking.

"It is the sound of fear," the first Cyberman said dismissively, "It is irrelevant. We will remove all fear".

"Oh, Alfie…" the Hatter breathed sadly, feeling the guilt washing over her as she lowered her head in shame. This was all their fault.

"Alfie, I'm so sorry!" the Doctor called out, though there was no way for Alfie to be able to hear him, "Alfie, please, stop," he closed her eyes briefly, unable to stand hearing his cries, "We…we can't help him!"

The first Cyberman turned back towards the conversion chamber, "Emotions eradicated," it said, "Conversion complete," the Hatter held back a sob, looking up to see Craig's fingers twitching very slightly, which made her pause, frowning slightly. That wasn't supposed to happen, she was quite certain of that, when an alarm began beeping throughout the room, "Alert. Emotional subsystems rebooting. This is impossible".

Energy began crackling around the helmet as the Doctor and the Hatter looked quickly at each other, stunned disbelief crossing their faces.

"It's Alfie's cries!" the Hatter gasped, hope flaring within her, "Craig can hear them, he can hear his babies cries!"

The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, "Oh, please, just give me this," he breathed, looking urgently back over to Craig, "Craig, you wanted a chance to prove you're a dad. You are never going to get a better one than this!"

A crack began to appear along the middle of the helmet, snaking its way slowly downwards.

"What is happening?" the first Cyberman demanded, turning to the Time Lords, the Hatter grinning broadly and looking as if she was only just stopping herself from jumping up and down.

"What's happening, you metal moron?" the Doctor glared at it, "A baby is crying. And you'd better watch out, 'cause guess what? Ha, ha!" he laughed mockingly, smiling widely in delight, looking back over to Craig as the crack in the helmet grew, "Daddy's coming home!"

The helmet burst open, revealing Craig's face, "Alfie!" he shouted at once, fighting with everything that he had, just trying to get free from the clamps and machinery, while sparks began flying as the conversion machine started overloading. The Doctor and the Hatter laughed, cheering him on, "Alfie, I'm here," he managed to get his left arm free, throwing the breastplate off his chest, "I'm coming for you!"

The Cybermen began to stagger around, two of them even falling back into one another, while sparks continued flying everywhere.

"You tell them, Craig!" the Hatter cheered, laughing joyfully, "You go to your son!"

"Yes, Craig!" the Doctor called in encouragement, managing to break himself free of the Cyberman holding him, instantly moving to aid the Hatter as the struggled, grimacing as she tried wrenching her shoulders free without pulling them out of their sockets because that really wouldn't be helpful right now.

"Alfie!"

The Hatter sighed in relief as she managed to throw the Cyberman's arms off her and the Doctor forcefully shoved the Cyberman away from her and into a wall, perhaps a little overly enthusiastically, judging by the satisfied glint in his eyes as he did so. She quickly turned back towards Craig, seeing him still trying to break free, "Craig, keep fighting," she urged him, running to his side, dodging sparks as she did so as the Doctor bent down to pluck his sonic screwdriver off the floor, "You're son needs you, right _now_!"

"Emergency!" the Cyberman reported as they all began grabbing at their heads, withering in agony on the spot, "Emotional influx!"

The Doctor ran over to the Hatter and Craig, working together to try and pull the machinery still trapping Craig off him, "You've triggered a feedback loop into their emotional inhibitors," he explained quickly to Craig, scrunching up his face with effort, "All that stuff they cut out of themselves, now they're feeling it".

"That's pure agony to a Cyberman," the Hatter said grimly, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to the Cyberman, still gripping their metal heads. She couldn't help feeling just a little bit sorry for them, though not nearly as much as they not tried to take a father away from his infant son. She shook her head, turning back to help Craig free his right arm, "In other words, that means there's going to be a very big explosion and a number of heads are going to go BOOM!" she glanced at the Doctor, "Preferably not ours, too".

"Overload!" the Cybermen cried, "Overload, overload".

Craig looked slightly dazed as the Doctor and the Hatter pulled him out of the conversion machine, the three of them dodging around the Cybermen as they hurried over towards the door, the Doctor flashing his sonic screwdriver at them.

"Get it open!" Craig shouted, looking frantically to the Doctor, "We need to get to Alfie!"

"They've sealed the ship!" the Doctor groaned, spinning around from the door and grabbing the Hatter's hand, just as the Cybermen's heads began exploding all around the room, forcing them to flinch back from them.

"We've got to get out of here!"

"Working on it!" the Hatter told him, wincing as another Cyberman's head exploded , before her eyes widened and she actually hit her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Oh, I'm getting slow in my old age. The teleport!"

"Genius!" the Doctor exclaimed, flashing her a brief grin before they ran across the room, managing to avoid the Cybermen and their exploding heads, jumping up onto a slightly raised rounded platform that was in an alcove at the back of the room. He pointed the sonic screwdriver back towards a piece of machinery on the wall behind them, which sparked badly as the three of them hugged one another, just as they teleported themselves away and back into the lift.

They had barely made it to safety before the floor of the lift jolted and shook slightly beneath them, singling that the ship below had finally exploded. The lifts doors slide open and the three of them broke apart with a small ding of a bell, Craig barely even pausing to take a breath before he was running out of the doors, leaving the Time Lords to exchange a brief grin and high five, before hurrying along after him, finding themselves standing in the middle of the woman's wear department.

"How did you get in there?" Val gasped as she caught sight of them stepping out of the lift, cradling Alfie in her arms, the baby no longer crying.

"Alfie!" Craig ran over to her, reaching out to take Alfie from her, grinning widely with a look of complete and utter delight on his face.

Val broke into a smile, "Here's your daddy," she cooed, passing Alfie to Craig just as the Doctor and the Hatter reached them.

"That was another review!" the Doctor remarked happily, pointing at Alfie, who had just giggled slightly, "Ten out of ten!"

"Oh, I'm so proud of both of you," the Hatter told Craig and Alife brightly, reaching over to lightly pat Alfie's head before patting Craig's shoulder.

Craig's face softened slightly, placing a kiss onto Alfie's head before cradling him close to his chest, looking back to the Time Lords, "The Cybermen…" he began, looking as if it was only just starting to hit him just what had happened, "They blew up. I blew them up with love".

"No, that's impossible," the Doctor smiled, shaking his head in amusement as he glanced back over to Val and the Hatter, "And also grossly sentimental and over simplistic," he turned back to Craig as the Hatter sighed slightly, closing her eyes briefly, "You destroyed them because of the deeply ingrained hereditary human trait to protect one's own genes, which in turn triggered…"

"Doctor," the Hatter cut across him, giving her a mildly exasperated look, while Craig and Val looked quite confused, "Kind of ruining the moment".

He blinked slowly and glanced back to Craig, seeing his expression, "Oh, right…" he muttered a little embarrassedly, fixing a smile to his face, "Yes, love," he nodded, correcting himself, "You blew them up with love".

The Time Lady smiled at him, linking her arm through his, "Much better, sweetheart," she murmured approvingly.

….

The Hatter shook her head fondly, watching on with amusement as the Doctor rambled on to Kelly as they stood in the middle of the women's wear department, while Kelly simply looked at him blankly, clearly not understanding a word that he was saying as he told her about their adventure. Why he felt the need to tell Kelly, of all people, the Hatter really couldn't say, she was just simply enjoying watching.

"The building should be totally safe structurally," he was saying to Kelly, patting a pillar beside him, "And of course the bonded disillium contained the explosion".

"Right…" Kelly nodded slowly, looking at him as if he was completely mental, "Why are you telling me all this?"

He frowned and opened his mouth, glancing at the Hatter, who wrapped her arm around his shoulders and flashed Kelly a bright smile, "Ignore him," she advised her, winking, "He's…um, been under a lot of stress recently. Just…forget about everything he said, shh," she lifted her finger up to her mouth, meeting Kelly's eyes.

Kelly instantly closed her mouth, looking as if she had literally just swallowed whatever she was about to say, while the Doctor smiled and clicked his fingers before pointing at her. The Hatter shook her head and took his hand as they turned and began to make their way over to where Craig had just stepped up to Val's counter, wearing a new grey button up shirt after his old one had been torn and had gotten covered in dirt down in the Cybership.

"It suits you," Val remarked as he approached her counter, smiling.

"Thanks," Craig grinned at her, glancing down his front.

"Discount applies to partners".

The Hatter paused, biting her lip as she struggled to contain a giggle, glancing out of the corner of her eye to see that the Doctor had almost frozen, his eyes widening slightly.

"Great," Craig said, apparently not thinking anything of Val's comment.

"Are you two married, then?"

"No, no. We talked about it, but it's just a piece of paper, isn't it?"

The Doctor smiled a little awkwardly, now knowing that Val had mistaken him and Craig as being a couple, and decided that it would probably not help the situation by wrapping his arm over Craig's shoulders right now. The Hatter was no help, either, she looked like she was struggling not to burst out laughing, "Thank you for your help, Val," he nodded to the older woman, "Good noticing. Keep 'em peeled".

"I will," Val assured them, giving them a bright smile as she looked fondly between Craig and the Doctor, "I'm glad you two made up for baby's sake".

"Ah…" he began, glancing quickly at Craig, who blinked slowly. The Hatter didn't bother to try and stop herself from laughing.

Craig frowned at Val, looking quite puzzled, "How do you mean?"

She continued smiling at them, "It's nice for baby to have two daddies who love each other," she explained.

The Hatter squeezed the Doctor's hand, just as he went to open his mouth to correct Val, "Don't you dare say anything," she whispered to her, her eyes positively dancing with delight, "This is just too funny".

Craig's eyes widened, realisation hitting him, "Wait…hold on a sec!" he held up a finger, trying to laugh it off a little weakly, "Two daddies?" he stared back at her, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to the Time Lords, "You think I'm…?"

The Doctor leaned closer to the Hatter's ear, his cheeks looking a little pink, "I think it's time for us to go," he muttered to her, more than eager to leave. The idea of him and Craig being a couple…it was just too bizarre to even think about, especially with the Hatter standing so close to him.

"But…" she went to try and argue, enjoying this far too much, when she sighed and nodded, "Oh, alright. Spoil sport".

Silently, the two of them backed away from the counter, while Craig and Val were too busy carrying on the discussion, Craig still laughing slightly at the idea, giving the Time Lords the perfect chance to slip away.

"His _companion_ ," Val was saying to Craig, still smiling, not noticing a thing.

Craig shook his head; laughing still, "Doctor, Hatter…" he turned to look at them, only to find that they had completely vanished. The smile slipped off his face as he looked around, a sinking feeling washing over him.

"Oh!" Val said in surprise, "Now where's he rushed off to?"

"They're gone," he breathed, staring around.

….

Craig returned home with Alfie in his papoose, feeling quite upset that the Doctor and the Hatter had just disappeared without even saying a word, not even a quick goodbye. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside, moving across into the living room to drop his keys on a small table inside the door, when he froze, staring around in shock.

"Who's tided all this up?" he asked aloud.

The place was completely clean, even the section of wall that he had been meaning to finish painting ever since they had first moved in had been painted and now had a large painting hanging on it. Someone had tidy away all the toys and vacuumed the floor, they had even gone to the trouble of putting a vase of yellow flowers on the spotless coffee table. He couldn't remember the last time everything had been so neat, certainly not since Alfie had been born and before that they'd been busy moving in.

He shook his head and moved back out into the hallway, now noticing that everything had been cleaned up in there, too, and headed down into the kitchen, finding it just as spotlessly clean as the living room had been, not a single toy or plate left out anywhere. You could even see the table cloth on the kitchen table now. He looked up quickly in time to see the Doctor and the Hatter stepping into the room through the now repaired back down, holding hands and smiling widely at him.

"See?" the Doctor held out his free hand, while the Hatter closed the door behind them, "We do come back".

"How did you…?" he trailed off, waving his hand around the clean kitchen as he stepped closer to them.

"There some benefits to having a time machine," the Hatter remarked, giving him a little wink.

The Doctor held up his finger, "But even with time travel, getting glaziers on a Sunday…" he ran his finger across one of the shelves and looking down at his finger, frowning slightly, "Tricky".

"But, I think we did quite well in the end," the Time Lady smiled, looking quite pleased with herself as she cast her eyes around the kitchen and back to the fixed glass door behind them.

"You went back in time?" Craig stared at them, his eyes widening, "That means you used up your time. What about Exedor?"

"What about you being in trouble with Sophie when she comes back?" the Doctor said lightly, shaking his head, "We couldn't let that happen".

"You used up your time…for _me_?"

The Hatter's smile softened, "We're friends," she told him, her tone growing softer as she glanced at the Doctor, "That's what friends do".

The Doctor smiled faintly, his eyes moving to rest on Alfie, strapped into the papoose, looking very happy indeed, "I notice Stormageddon's very quiet and happy," he paused, listening closely as Alfie gargled something. He blinked slightly in mild surprise, while the Hatter smiled happily, "Oh, he prefers the name Alfie now," Alfie gargled again, "And he's very proud of his dad".

Craig's head snapped up to them, grinning, "He calls me 'dad?'"

"Well, you certainly did earn it," the Hatter said with a slightly proud note to her voice, thinking about how hard Craig had fought to get back to his son. That was more than enough proof for Craig that he was capable of being a dad, and a pretty wonderful one at that. She knew without a doubt that her own mother wouldn't have come close to being able to do what Craig had done today.

Alfie gargled something else, making them all listen for a moment.

"Yeah, I know," the Doctor nodded, smiling slightly as he glanced back up to Craig, "He's a bit thick, isn't he?"

"Oi!" Craig exclaimed, though he was laughing, "Shut up, you two".

"Ah, that'll be the day," the Hatter said teasingly, throwing the Doctor a fond look. He pouted at her, making her laugh and kiss his cheek, before turning back to Craig, her smile dimming slowly. She cleared her throat, "Well, then," she looked back to the Doctor, suddenly growing quite serious, "I think it's time, sweetheart".

Instantly, the Doctor's whole demure changed and he grew quite grim, nodding slowly, "Yes, I think so, too," he agreed, looking back to Craig with a resigned expression, "We have to go".

Craig looked between them, swallowing as he felt the air around them changing, all the lightness and happiness of before fading in a moment, "Doctor, Hatter…I know that something's wrong," he said worriedly, "I can help you".

He looked back at him sadly, looking close to tears as he exchanged a brief look with the Hatter, turning back to him, "No one can help us".

"Is it true?" he said hurriedly, noticing the Doctor starting to turn away, "You had a daughter?" he smiled, hoping to try and distract them.

"We did," the Hatter confirmed, taking a deep breath, desperately trying to will away the urge to cry now. She wouldn't cry, not now, she refused to allow herself to, "Astra, we called her".

"Where is she?"

The Doctor hesitated, looking away as the Hatter tugged absent on the zipper of her jacket, not meeting his eyes, "She's being taken care of by people we trust," he eventually replied, very much wishing that they could just leave it at that. He cleared his throat, looking directly at Craig, "We couldn't protect her, she'll be safer with them".

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind, Craig," the Hater said with a hint of warning in her voice, finally meeting his eyes, "Please, just… _stop_. I'm begging you".

Craig slowly closed his mouth, his eyes flickering quickly between the couple before he gave a small nod and placed a hand on Alfie's back.

The Doctor turned away and picked up a small pile of TARDIS blue envelops that were sitting on the table beside them, "I hope Sophie won't mind," he said, trying to pretend as if nothing had happened, just wanting to move passed the painful subject. He held up the envelope's for Craig to see, "We need these".

He sighed heavily, looking very sad, "Where are you going to go?"

"America," the Hatter replied, trying very hard to look and sound like her usual bright and happy self again, but it didn't quite work.

"Sophie'll be home any second, are you sure…?"

"We can't miss this appointment, Craig," the Doctor interrupted him firmly, slipping the envelops inside his inner coat pocket. He gave him a weak smile, nodding to him, "Goodbye, mate".

"It's been a delight to be able to see you again," the Hatter said sincerely, this time her smile actually looking real. She reached over with free hand and lightly tickled Alfie's head, "And you too, Alfie. It's been a pleasure".

Craig looked close to saying something for a moment, "Wait there," he ordered them quickly, pointing a finger at them, as if he was afraid they might go running off again, which was probably quite wise, "One second…" he turned and hurried off out of the room, ducking into one of the rooms leading off from the hallway, before he stepped back into the kitchen doorway with a smile and a large Stetson, "From Sean's stag," he walked back over to them and held the hat out between them, not quite sure which one of them would take it, since it appeared that the Hatter no longer wore a hat.

The Doctor's eyes widened in delight, before he paused and glanced at the Hatter, who smiled broadly and gave him a fond look, "Take it, sweetheart," she told him, nodding back to the hat, "Besides, it probably wouldn't even fit my head".

He happily took the hat and put it on his head, finding that it fit him perfectly, "Wow," he grinned, adjusting the front of the hat slightly, turning to the Hatter to see if it meet with her approval. If there was anyone who knew hats…

"Very handsome, sweetheart," she laughed, kissing his cheek, careful to avoid nudging the hat as she did so. She knew how annoying that could be.

"You ride 'em, pardner," Craig smiled widely at him.

"Oh, thanks," the Doctor said to him, truly and completely thrilled by the hat, not to mention that fact that the Hatter apparently seemed to like it. Silence fell over them, however, and the three of them slowly lost their smiles and simply looked back at each other. He tried to lighten the mood slightly and clicked his fingers, before pointing them at Craig like a gun before he took the Hatter's hand again and they both turned, heading for the door.

"Bye," Craig said softly behind them, watching them go.

The Hatter flashed him one last smile before she and the Doctor disappeared back out through the backdoor. They made their way around the back of the house and out through the side gate, continuing on out onto the footpath and towards where they had left the TARDIS parked in the entrance of an alleyway. A young boy and two girls were playing further down the alleyway, kicking a football around as the Doctor and the Hatter came to a stop outside the TARDIS doors, looking at them grimly.

"Well then, old girl," the Doctor sighed, licking his thumb and carefully wiping a spot off the door, "One last trip, eh?"

"Doctor," the Hatter said quietly, squeezing his hand to draw his attention to her, before nodding over to where the three children had all stopped their game and were looking at them curiously. She gave them a small smile.

The Doctor turned towards the children, smiling gently at them. He wondered if one day, Astra would be like them, playing blissfully with a simple football and human children, or would she be quiet and reserved, preferring to be inside with a book and learning about the Universe? He knew that she would likely never quite truly fit in on Earth, Astra would always standout from the other children, no matter what, but he hoped that she would still have the chance to be a child, to have that freedom that they had fought so hard to ensure she had.

"Hey," he greeted the kids, "I'm the Doctor and this is the Hatter…" he nodded across to the Time Lady beside him, turning back to them with a small, sad smile, "We were here to help. And you are very, very welcome," he tipped his hat to them and he and the Hatter turned, walking back to the TARDIS, hand-in-hand, disappearing inside the time machine.

 _ **We are so close to the end of this story, just two more chapters, plus the Christmas special, and possibly a mini episode left to go until we're up to the next story. I really seriously need to come up with a title for it, too, it feels like it's getting harder and harder with this story. I would really love it if anyone has any suggestions? Though, it might be a bit hard without knowing what I have planned for the coming season.**_

 _ **Next chapter, the Doctor and the Hatter witness something that shocks them, Live Chess, and our Time Lords really do mean business. I hope you liked the chapter; I'm going to miss Craig. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews, and thank you so much :):**_

 _ **Guest 2:**_ _ **Oh, good, I'm glad you like the idea, I just wanted to check, since you did bring forward the idea in the first place and might have had something else in mind for the format. Well, I can certainly assure you that the Twelfth Doctor and (Possibly Ninth) Hatter in the AU won't be flirty and warm in regards to each other, there is going to be a great deal of tension between them and the AU Hatter is going to be wondering if she and the AU Doctor are even still friends after everything that's passed in those centuries of being apart. There's going to be a little bit of blame game going on with the Doctor, which the Hatter will be very quick to shutdown, I imagine at this point.**_

 _ **I think it would be a bit like if you had an friend that you were really close to as a kid, got along with them really well and knew them pretty well, and then you suddenly run into them after years and years of not seeing them, and you're kind of left awkwardly wondering just where your relationship stands with them now and if you're even able to be friends with them again because you've both changed since you knew them. Add to that one party feeling angry towards the other for something, while the other one is still trying to come to grips with everything, and I think that's how it would be for AU Doctor and Hatter. It's not going to be about romance between them, but trying to figure out if they can even still be friends. I hope I didn't confuse you too much, I think I might have confused myself just a little bit trying to figure out a way to try and word it:)**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **You know what, my first thought was that there's no way that the Hatter would let Rose go through with the whole Dimension Cannon, but just maybe, given her history of working with technology and her own experience building and inventing things, she would actually be able to build something that worked in the same way, but was far safer and less damaging. I can imagine the Hatter working to try and build a device like that; knowing that she needed to warn the Doctor about the stars going out and everything, and it would also be a way for her to return to her proper Universe. So, I feel that if the Hatter wound up trapped with Rose, that she would have worked very hard to build a Dimension Cannon that could do the same thing, without the danger of destroying whole worlds involved, rather than Rose be the one to try and use the device.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **Ah, yes, the Three Doctors and Hatters, the project I've had at the back of my mind over the whole year and still haven't found the time to properly start yet. I'm afraid that this year has been far more busy then I expected it to be, it's my final year at high school trying to complete my year 12 two years late and now, I'm also trying to get into a course for next year, too.**_

 _ **I would have very much have liked to have started working on the story about a month ago, just so that I can try and be ready to post it for New Year's, like the last two Classic era stories, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to meet with that deadline this year, given that I haven't had as much time to write as I did in previous years with school going on. Hopefully, once I've finished this story and then moved on to the next one, possibly then I'll start writing it, perhaps post the story in this following year, depending on what happens, but at this point I really can't say. Who knows? I might even surprise myself and sit down and start writing it before then, I can't say. I haven't forgotten about it, though, and I will be writing it once I do actually have the time, maybe during the coming summer holidays, before any courses start up in February.**_

 _ **Guest (3):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter had somehow managed to take the Doctor's place in the radiation chamber, I think that the Doctor would have been very upset with her over it, but that he would have been forced to take on the same carer role that the Hatter had taken after the Tenth Doctor had regenerated. I really loved how the Doctor went back and checked up on all of his past companions, so I feel like the Hatter would have done that with her own and the Doctor's companions that she had known. They would have still crashed in Amelia's garden, but I'm not sure if the Hatter would have had the same crazy food craves that Eleven had, I think she probably would have spent most of the first half of the episode passed out, nor do I think she would have start stripping her clothing off in front of Amy and Rory like Eleven did when he got changed. I don't think the Doctor could have handled that, especially with Rory there.**_

 _ **Guest (4):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter had gone along with the Doctor's plan on Mar's, that she would have likely have still locked herself away in her bedroom like she did in the chapter, but I don't believe it would have been out of anger with the Doctor that time, instead it would have been out of anger and disgust at what she had allowed herself to do. I think it would have been one those moments in her life when it really made her questions if she was truly trust worthy enough to act as a sort of protector to the Universe, if she was even able to keep travelling and helping people when she had gone and done something like that. I also have to wonder if it would have changed her relationship with the Doctor, too. Would she have still felt like marrying him was a good idea after what the two of them had done? Or would she have come to the conclusion that perhaps they needed space to think first. It's interesting to think about how one different path taken can cause such a massive ripple effect.**_

 _ **Guest (5):**_ _ **I actually have never even thought about doing a 'What if?' one-shot story before, and to be perfectly honest I'm not sure if I do have any what if one-shots that I can think of right now. I guess I did consider a what if one shot were there was a Dream Lady instead of Dream Lord were in one dream, the Doctor and the Hatter are happily living on Gallifrey with two kids, never having left Gallifrey, while in another dream the Doctor kind of took on the role of the Master and the Master and the Hatter are close friends, and the Hatter and the Doctor have to try and work together in that dream, even though they pretty much hate one another and their emotions from reality and the dream keep conflicting. I always kind of thought that would be fun to write.**_

 _ **Guest (6):**_ _ **Ooh, season 11. I honestly have no idea; I suppose I would quite like for Bill to come back, maybe even an episode with an old companion appearing in it. I'm mainly just very curious to see how having a female Doctor might change things or if it will change things at all.**_

 _ **Guest (7):**_ _ **If the Doctor found the Hatter during season 10, I think that the Hatter would find it very, very hard to believe that the Missy could be trying to change, and I think she would probably be very wary about her. I think she would be quite shocked that the Doctor managed to save Gallifrey, but also very proud of him and thrilled, though I think she would also be disgusted to learn what the Time Lords then did to him during season 9. As for guarding the Time Vault, I think she would understand and probably even congratulate him on keeping his promise, but as for the season as a whole, I'm not sure if she would have stuck around on Earth. I think that after spending all that time stuck inside a fob watch, the idea of staying in one place would be quite boring to her and she would probably want to go off travelling on her own for a little while, dropping in every now and then to check-up on the Doctor and make sure Missy hadn't done anything to him. I think that with the knowledge that the Time Lords were still alive, she would feel comfortable to do that, while during the Tenth Doctor's era and believing that they were the only ones left, she would have probably have felt like they had to stick together.**_

 _ **Guest (8):**_ _ **If the Doctor had been the one to get stuck in Pete's Universe, I really can't imagine Rose ever warming to the Hatter. I think she would have hated her even more and, yes, blamed her completely for what happened to the Doctor. I think that the Hatter would have been heartbroken over losing the Doctor and probably would have come to the realisation that she had been in love with him, but I think it would have only made her more determined to keep trying to help the rest of the Universe, in his name.**_

 _ **Guest (9):**_ _ **Well, I'm probably most excited about seeing the two Doctor's together, I love, love episodes that have two versions of the Doctor meeting each other, they always have great lines in them and I love seeing the Doctor bickering with himself and making fun of something he did/worn once, so that's probably what I really want to see the most in that episode, since I know I'll probably end up crying when Twelve regenerates, so I'm really hoping there's going to be some funny parts before all that goes down.**_

 _ **Guest (10):**_ _ **I think I might have thought about writing the Ninth Doctor meeting a past version of the Hatter, I would be very interested in writing a one-shot like that, anyway, since I really would like to find a way to have Nine play a role in the stories, since I feel bad that he doesn't really play that big of a role, given that the Hatter's only briefly meet him once before.**_


	29. Chapter 29 The…of River Song, Part 1

_**Quick note: yes, I am aware of the title. I did it on purpose :)**_

 _ **The…of River Song, Part 1**_

The Hatter sat on the edge of her bed, locked away inside a prison cell, listening ideally to the constant, almost hypnotic sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance. Her head was bowed; her fingers tangled in the rough, faded fabric of her pale pink and gold Roman style robes, while her hair had been left to grow out to the middle of her back, messy and tangled in a long plait. Slowly, she lifted her head as the noise of footsteps approached the thick metal door directly facing her, already knowing what was coming next.

Winston Churchill, the Holy Roman Emperor, had summed them, no doubt with the very same questions as always, though she didn't expect for this to end any differently to how it always did. That was one of the problems of constantly living in a time line that never ever changed, always living out the exact same day without time changing, 22nd of April, 2011 at 5:02 PM, though while the rest of the world continued to be jumbled up with different periods from different times, she and the Doctor were the only ones who kept changing, the only ones who could still age and change, hence why her hair had grown so long while no one else in the world ever needed to get a haircut again. Good news for people who hated getting haircuts, bad news for hairdressers.

She sighed heavily and slowly rose from the bed, the thick chains around her wrists and ankles clinking nosily with every move, bowing her head once more. She missed the old days, oh how she missed them. She missed seeing the Doctor's face, the why he would smile and laugh, how those beautiful green eyes of his would light up whenever they were alone together. She couldn't even remember the last time they had been alone, just the two of them, having been placed into separate cells, now they mostly communicated through the wall between their cells, not that she truly understood why they even bothered separating them. The Doctor hadn't been pleased at all by it at first, but it was probably to try and minimise the risk of them being able to escape, not that she currently had any plans to do so.

The lock on her cell creaked loudly before the door swung open to reveal two guards dressed in Roman armour, not saying a word as they stormed into the cell and grabbed her arms, escorting her from the cell. She didn't try to fight them, her head still bowed, watching the edge of her robes flap above her sandal covered feet. She could sense the Doctor's mind, feel his presence and knew that he was right there, just ahead of her with two guards escorting him, though she resisted against the urge to lift her head to look at him. The feel of his mind against hers was comforting enough, like a large hug.

The guards led them from the tower they had been held in and up into the bright light of what was once Buckingham Palace, now the Holy Emperors place of residents, taking them through the corridors as their chains clinked together, throwing open a set of large doors, where their guards roughly shoved them onto their knees before Churchill, who was sitting at a large table, looking over a piece of paper. Neither Time Lord lifted their head, nor made a sound at the rough handling.

"Leave us," Churchill dismissed the guards without looking up, and the guards bowed and walked out of the room, closing the doors behind them. He finally put the sheet of paper down, turning in his chair to look down at the Time Lords, "Tick tock goes the clock, as the old saying goes," he remarked, turning around in his chair to look back over to a grandfather clock behind him, "But they don't, do they? The clocks never tick," he turned back to them, "Something has happened to time. That's what you two say. What you never _stop_ saying," he shook his head, frowning, "All of history is happening at once. But what does that mean? What happened?" he closed his eyes briefly, frustrated, "Explain to me in teams that I can understand. What happened to time?"

The Hatter lifted her head, the chains of her wrist clinking as she did so, lifting an eyebrow, "Are you quite certain you wish to know?" she asked him, her voice sounding slightly rough from lack of use. She glanced at the Doctor beside her, who had also raised his head, his face covered in a scraggly beard and his hair growing well passed the collar of his own green and white toga, "It's quite a long story," she looked back to Churchill.

"Tell me".

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a brief look, before the Doctor turned back to Churchill, the edge of his mouth twitching, "A woman".

….….. **Past** …..…

 _The Doctor and the Hatter strolled calmly through the wreckage of a crashed spaceship, barely seeming to even be taking any notice of the fires still burning here and there as they walked, the Doctor happily wearing the Stetson on his head, while the Hatter was in purple tights. And then they saw it, their target, lying defenceless and half-destroyed on its side…or was pray perhaps a better team for it? They had, after all, been hunting._

" _Imagine you were dying," the Doctor said as they slowly approached it, hand-in-hand, "Imagine you were afraid and a long way from home and in terrible pain. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, you looked up…" he lifted the front of his hat up, smirking back at it, "And saw the devil himself"._

" _Hello, Dalek," the Hatter flashed the powerless, rather pathetic looking Dalek a smile, leaning in towards it. It was terribly battered, sparks bursting out from it every now and then, clearly close to death, though it was still hanging on. They always did, which was excellent news for them, bad news for it, "Did you miss us, darling?" her smile grew whickered._

" _Emergency," the Dalek cried, moving its eyestalk almost frantically up and down, far to damaged to try and move anything else, "Emergency!" it tried moving its gun, but it barely even twitched, "Weapon disabled! Emergency! Emergency!"_

" _Hush, now," the brunet shushed it, moving slightly aside to allow the Doctor room to pull his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, quickly it flashing it at the Dalek, disabling the locks on the casing, "We need to concentrate here and you carrying on in that horrible, grating voice really is quite distracting," she huffed, moving forward to assist the Doctor._

 _They managed to get the casing open, pushing the head of the Dalek off, while the Doctor began using his sonic on the machinery within the casing, "We just need some information from your data core," he said distractedly, his eyes flickering up to meet the Hatter's eyes, "Everything the Dalek's know about the Silence"._

…

 _The Doctor and the Hatter where at the Docks of Calisto B, peering around the corner of an alleyway that they had parked the TARDIS in, watching as a tall, hooded figure walked through the darkened and misty street just ahead of them, before the figure turned and slipped into a rather seedy looking bar that was partly hidden, no markings or signs outside to indicate just what laid behind the large metal door. But they knew, they had been scooping out one particular person of interest, careful to make sure that they knew just what they were walking into._

" _Shall we, dear?" he glanced at the Time Lady beside him, raising an eyebrow from beneath his hat as he offered her his hand._

 _She pulled a slight face, "You truly do take me to the nicest places, Doctor," she muttered, taking his hand and letting him pull her around the corner, walking over towards the door and opening it, carefully stepping inside the rather busy bar, which was just as grimy and dirty as she imagined it to be. They ignored the rest of the patrons, walking straight across to where the red skinned bartender was sitting behind a metal grate at the bar, turning around as they approached, "We need to talk to someone," she told the man, her voice sharp, wanting this man to know just how serious they were, "Gideon Vandeleur"._

" _Get him," the Doctor ordered him, his expression hard, "Now"._

" _Who says he's here?" the bartender asked, leaning in closer towards the barrier between them._

 _The Doctor calmly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Dalek's eyestalk, dropping it loudly onto the counter between them, not taking his eyes off the other man. The bartender glanced down at it and paled slightly, glancing up to them with an almost fearful look before he quickly scurried off, apparently realising that they truly did mean business. The Doctor smiled very slightly in amusement, glancing back to the Hatter._

" _You were right about the eye, dear," he commented quietly, slipping the eyestalk back into his pocket to throwaway as soon as possible. The idea of carrying the thing around in his pocket was quite horrible, but it seemed to have payed off._

" _I usually am," she grinned back at him, kissing his cheek before turning to start weaving through the tables and patrons for a table across the room._

 _The Doctor followed right behind her, looking amused, "And you say I have an ego so large that it has its own Universe," he shook his head fondly, quickly moving around her so that he could grab a chair and pull it out for her before she reached the table. He dropped a quick kiss on top of her head as she sat down in the chair with a small smile, before moving around to sit in the chair opposite her, "I think I've been a bad influence over you," he winked at her._

" _Well, my parents always did warn me about you," she shrugged, laughing slightly, picturing her parents expressions if they could see her right now, sitting in this bar with the Doctor across from her, married and with a daughter to him. They would probably die from the sheer horror of it._

 _As they waited, the Doctor pulled a magazine out of his pocket that was called, 'Knitting for Girls' and began flicking through it, ideally looking at the interesting knitting patterns, though they never did end up going to that knitting lesson that they had planned centuries ago. The Hatter was reading her own magazine, this one called, 'Engines Building Express,' which had a large picture on the front of it of an old classic style Earth car with the bonnet up to reveal a very shinny looking engine. They only had to wait for a short few minutes before a large shadow loomed over their table, blocking most of their dim light, making them look up to see the large figure in the hooded cloak sit down in the chair between them, their face still hidden from view._

" _Father Gideon Vandaleur," the Doctor greeted lightly, closing his magazine as the hooded figure lowered his hood, revealing a pale man with blonde hair in a bowl cut hairstyle and a silver eye patch, just like the one that Korvarian had worn, "Former envoy of the Silence"._

" _Please allow us to offer you our deepest condolences," the Hatter added, closing her own magazine and slipping it inside her jacket pocket, smiling pleasantly at the man, "Though; I do suppose that congratulations should also be in order at the miraculous recovering you've seemed to have had"._

 _He frowned at them, startled, "I'm sorry?"_

" _Gideon Vandaleur has been dead for six months," the Doctor replied, and before he could even open his mouth, the Doctor flashed his sonic screwdriver at him, making him wince painfully for a moment, before he froze, his expression growing blank as he stared off passed them. The Doctor moved the sonic up to the man's face, aimed directly at his eye, where they could see a tiny solider within the pupil, peering back at them, "Can we speak to the captain, please?"_

 _The solider nodded and turned, hurrying off, while the Hatter smiled at the robot, wiggling her fingers at it._

" _Hello, you lot," she said brightly, knowing that the miniaturised crew within would be listening right now, "It's been a while, hasn't it? Blimey, Berlin seems like an age ago"._

 _The Doctor leaned closer to the robot, smiling widely at it as he lowered the sonic screwdriver, "Good to see you again, the Teselecta, time-travelling, shape-changing robot, powered by miniaturised people," he looked back across to the Hatter, still grinning, "Never get bored of that"._

" _Doctor!" the captain said in annoyance, still using Vandaleur's voice, "What have you done to our systems?"_

" _Oh, don't worry about it," the Hatter shook her head dismissively, "You can be on your merry way once we've finish our little chat with your systems completely restored. I promise, and you ought to know that when I make a promise, I keep it," she pointed at the robot with a very serious expression on her face._

" _Now," the Doctor began, eyeing the Teselecta, getting down to business, "This unit can disguise itself as anyone in the Universe, so if you're posing as Vandaleur, you're investigating the Silence. Tell us about them"._

" _Tell you what?"_

" _Oh, just one little thing," the Hatter replied, not taking her eyes off the robot, "One tiny but very important thing. Tell us their weakest link"._

….

 _The Doctor was sitting casually across from an alien that looked quite a bit like a Viking, with long blonde hair that hung around his shoulders and wearing shiny armour with an eye patch over one eye, running his tongue over his bottom lip as he concentrated on the chess board before him as cheers sounded from the stands surrounding the arena. One of the pieces was charged with electricity, positively glowing with it as the alien hesitated with his hand over it, knowing that it was his last move that he could make._

 _The Hatter watched from behind the Doctor's chair, leaning against it with one hand resting on the Doctor's shoulder, smiling proudly at the Doctor's skill. They had ended up doing rock, paper, scissors in order to decide which one of them would play in the arena, since both of them were quite evenly matched against one another, so much so that they rarely even bothered playing chess anymore because it would just end up getting frustrating. In the end, the Doctor had ended up winning, so the Time Lady had stood by and watched as the game unfolded before her, every now and then shaking her head or clapping her hands at a good move._

" _The crowd are getting restless," the Doctor remarked with a small triumphant grin, watching the alien's hand hovering over the last piece, while the crowd continued cheering loudly all around them, "They know the Queen is your only legal move…" he shrugged, holding out his hands briefly as the alien glanced warily up towards the crowd, "Except you've already moved it twelve times, which means there are now over four million volts running through it…"_

" _Move it!" one of the crowd shouted from above them, joined by many other similar calls and shouts._

" _That's why they call it 'Live Chess,'" he finished, smiling slightly, ignoring the crowd's shouts and taunts._

" _Pity, really," the Hatter said lightly, not seeming to be overly concerned as she eyed the alien, "You're quite good at playing…just not good enough," she threw the Doctor a grin, who happily returned it before she focused back onto the alien, who was still hovering over the last piece, "That gauntlet of yours certainly has come in handy, hasn't it? Too bad it won't protect you against all those volts as you try to get to Bishop Four, which is your only chance of winning"._

" _I am a dead man," the alien agreed, his voice carrying a slight accent to it. He looked back across to the Doctor, glaring at him as his fingers covered by the gauntlet wiggled slowly over the piece, "Unless you concede the game"._

 _The Doctor leaned across the board, glaring back at him, "But I'm winning"._

" _Name your price"._

" _Information"._

" _I work for the Silence. They would kill me"._

 _The Hatter raised her eyebrows at him, "From where I look at it right now, you're only chance of getting out of here alive is if you talk," she said coolly. Her expression softened slightly as she went on, "Now, you can tell us what you know and we can concede the game, maybe even give you a fighting chance of escaping from the Silence with our help, but you need to work with us first"._

" _They're going to kill us too, very soon," the Doctor told the alien, who blinked slightly, hoping that explaining their own situation, just a little bit, it might get him to agree to help them, "We were just going to lie down and take it, but you know what?" he leaned in towards him again, looking very serious, "Before we go, we'd like to know why we have to die"._

 _The alien paused for a moment, his eyes flickering between them, "Dorium Maldovar is the only one who can help you," he replied._

" _Yeah, slight issue with that," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head, "Dorium's dead"._

" _The Monks beheaded him at Demon's Run," the Doctor added, frowning at the alien._

" _I know," he said quickly, "Concede the game, Doctor…and I'll take you and your wife to him"._

 _The Hatter eyed him closely, not at all trusting him, but they were desperate for answers. They were possibly leaving behind any chance of ever being able to bring their daughter home again, to be able to raise her, and she knew that she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't try to do everything possible to make that happen, even if it was a pipedream. She was just about willing to do anything to learn about the Silence, to know what made them tick and to try and understand why they had been targeted by them in the first place. She glanced at the Doctor, who looked up at her at the same time, seeing the same resigned expression on his face as her own. He wasn't any happier about trusting someone like this alien, either, but what choice did they have in the search for answers? She sighed again and gave him a nod, telling him that she agreed._

 _The Doctor turned back to the board and reached out to the King piece, knocking it over, conceding the game as the air around them was surrounded by the displeased yells and boos of the crowd._

….

 _The Doctor and the Hatter walked behind the Viking alien as he held a lit torch, the flames flickering slightly as he lead them through an underground tunnel that was very dimly lit, though surprisingly quite open with rough stone walls and dirt covering the floor, tree roots shooting in through the ceiling and walls, making for a bit of a trip hazard if one wasn't careful._

" _The Seventh Transept," the alien informed the Time Lords as he lead them further down the tunnel, while the Time Lords looked around slightly warily, seeing the walls lined with shelves that were covered in rows and rows of skulls. In fact, there was so many skulls around the place that they even littered the floor along the edge of the tunnel, meaning that the Time Lords were forced to let go of each other's hands in order to go single file, not wishing to accidently step on one of the skulls, "Where the Headless Monks keep the leftovers. Watch your step," he warned them, making the Doctor do a quick glance down at his feet, "There are traps everywhere"._

" _Charming," the Hatter muttered, grimacing slightly as she cast a look over the wall that was covered completely with shelves of skulls, all yellowed with age, when there was a loud scurrying nose from somewhere._

 _The Doctor grimaced, reaching out to place his hand on the small of the Hatter's back as she walked just a step ahead of him, "Oh, I hate rates," he said, hearing the funny noise again._

" _Finally, he admits it," the brunet said under her breath, looking carefully back and forth between the skulls on either side of her, finding the whole place to be just downright creepy, not to mention the air, which felt almost suffocating with the stench of cold damp and old bones. She couldn't wait to get back to the TARDIS and out of these tunnels._

" _There are no rats in the transept," the alien told the Doctor, shaking his head._

" _Oh, good," the Doctor brightened slightly with relief._

" _The skulls eat them," he continued, making the Doctor and the Hatter's footsteps falter slightly as they looked back to each other in alarm, before they slowly looked around, only to see the skulls along the shelves turning to watch them pass, a faint whisper of sound running around the room, to low for any of them to hear, "The Headless Monks behead you alive, remember?"_

" _Yeah, right," the Hatter said weakly, staring around the tunnel with wide eyes, feeling even more freaked out then before. She cleared her throat, trying desperately to sound normal as they stepped into a cravenness room at the end of the tunnel, which was circular and had more skulls littering the floor and walls, while several stone pedestals had been set up in a semi-circle around the room, each one with a wooden box resting on top of it, "And what about these boxes?" she asked, gesturing to the boxes._

" _Because some people are rich, and some people are left to rot…" he explained, and the Time Lady frowned deeply at that, not finding it to be very fair, "Dorium Maldovar was always very rich"._

 _He shrugged and turned to place the torch in a sconce on the wall, while the Time Lords edged closer to the boxes, eyeing the one that was most lavishly decorated with even gold detailing inlaid into the polished surface of the wood. Well, if they had to guess what box…the Doctor withdrew his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and flashed it at the box, unlocking the latches as the Hatter moved forward to slide the front of the box open, revealing Dorium's blue head within, his eyes closed and looking quite peaceful…before he suddenly sneezed, making the Time Lords jump back in surprise, startled._

 _The Doctor, trying to recover a bit of his dignity, straightened his coat and briefly glanced back over his shoulder to the Viking alien, "Thank you for bringing us, Gantok," he told him, focusing back onto the box._

" _My pleasure," Gantok said, when there was a funny whirring noise from behind them, making them both tense slightly, recognising that noise as belonging to a weapon, "It saves me the trouble of burying you," he glared at them as they slowly turned around, seeing a large gun aimed at them, trained on the Doctor, "Nobody beats me at chess"._

" _Now, let's just calm down…" the Hatter began quickly, her eyes flying nervously between the gun and the Doctor, swallowing hard as she watched Gantok take a step towards them, when her eyes widened as she noticed a trapdoor right beneath his feet, partly covered by the dirt._

 _The Doctor must have seen the trap too, because he went to warn the man, just before the trapdoor gave way beneath him and the man fell, the Time Lords rushing over to the hole in the ground, "Gantok!" he shouted, reaching out his hand down towards the man, but as they looked down, they realised that it was too late. The pit was filled with skulls that all began swarming Gantok, eating him alive as his screams echoed up to them, while they could only watch on it horror at the terrible sight until he was completely consumed by the swarm of skulls, which then turned to look up at them with a loud hiss._

" _Close it!" the Hatter yelped, leaping back from the edge of the hole, her face very, very pale, "Close it, Doctor!"_

 _The Doctor fumbled slightly with his sonic screwdriver, still quite stunned by what they had just witnessed, before flashing the sonic at the hole and closing the door on it, backing away from it until he was level with the Hatter, who threw her arms around him in a rather unexpected but very pleasant hug, burying her face in his chest._

" _Oh, that was horrible," she breathed into the fabric of his shirt as his hand settled on her back, rubbing soothing circles, "I mean, I've seen a lot of horrific things in my time, but that was just so unexpected and…" she trailed off, feeling sick just thinking about it, still able to hear Gantok's screams ringing in her ears as he was slowly eaten._

" _I know," he nodded, quite shaken by the whole thing himself as he kissed the top of her head, his eyes lingering on the trapdoor on the floor over her shoulder. He had seen so many terrible things, the Time War was bad enough, but every now and then they would come across something that was still able to shake him to his very core and witnessing that had been one of those things._

" _Hello?" a voice called out from behind them, making them slowly pull away from each other, listening, "Is someone there?" they turned around to see that all the noise had woken Dorium, who was trying to look around, which was quite difficult without a neck to do so. The Doctor and the Hatter moved over to him, standing in his direct line of sight, "Ah, Doctor, Hatter!" he exclaimed, looking very relieved to see them, "Thank God it's you two. The Monks, they turned on me"._

" _Well…" the Doctor hesitated slightly awkwardly, glancing at the Hatter, "I'm afraid they rather did, a bit," he turned back to him._

" _Give it to me straight. How bad are my injuries?"_

" _Um…" the Hatter blinked slowly, looking slightly anxiously to the Doctor, not knowing how to explain to someone that they had their head cut off and now had to live inside a box. That kind of sounded like something he should have already have been told._

 _The Doctor swallowed, seeming to be just as nervous, "Well…"_

 _Dorium suddenly started laughing, making the Time Lords instantly relax, realising that he had just been messing with them, "Oh, your faces!" he cackled in delight._

 _The Time Lady laughed a little weakly, pressing her hand against her chest, trying to calm her racing hearts down, "Yeah, great joke…"_

…..… _ **Present**_ ….…..

"This is absurd!" Churchill scoffed, removing his cigar from his mouth, shaking his head as he interrupted the Doctor and the Hatter's retelling of what had happened to time, "Other worlds, carnivorous skulls, talking heads," he rose from his chair in a cloud of cigar smoke and moved around to stand behind his chair, looking back across to where the Doctor and the Hatter had moved to sit at the end of the table, narrowing his eyes on them, "I don't know why I'm listening to you two".

"You listen to us because you feel a connection between us," the Hatter told him, giving him a small smile, "In another version of reality, the three of us were friends and that's why you listen, why you keep coming back to us. You _sense_ that connection, even if it doesn't make sense to you in _this_ version of reality".

"Just as you sense there is something wrong with time," the Doctor agreed, pointing at Churchill, raising his eyebrows with a very serious expression on his face.

Churchill eyed them, "You mentioned a woman…" he paused, glancing at the Hatter, "A _different_ woman…"

"Yes," he nodded, his expression not changing, "We're getting to that".

"What's she like? Attractive, I assume," his eyes briefly flickered over to the Hatter.

The Doctor frowned at him, not missing the fleeting glance at his wife, while the Hatter seemed to be oblivious to it, "Hell," he said, a little sharper then needed, "In high heels".

The Hatter laughed, looking at him, "That has to be the most accurate description of her I've heard yet," she commented, a hint of fondness in her voice.

Churchill raised his eyebrows curiously, "Tell me more".

… _ **Past**_ ….….

" _Oh, it's not so bad, really," Dorium said to the Doctor and the Hatter as the Doctor started pacing, mindful to keep his distance of the skulls and trapdoor, while the Time Lady stood beside Dorium's pedestal, "As long as they get your box right way up. I got a media-ship fitted in my head years ago, and the Wi-Fi down here is excellent, so I keep myself entertained"._

" _Yes, seems like a cosy spot," the Hatter muttered to herself, grimacing as she cast her eyes around the space again, trying very, very hard not to think about the likely chamber full of deadly skulls beneath their feet right now, waiting for someone to step on another trap so they can have lunch. She cleared her throat, trying to focus back on the task at hand as she turned back to Dorium, "I'm afraid that this isn't a social call, Dorium, we need you to tell us everything you know about the Silence," she said firmly._

" _Oh," he frowned slightly as the Doctor moved back to the Hatter's side, taking her hand, "A religious order of great power and discretion. The sentinels of history, as they like to call themselves"._

" _And they want us dead," the Doctor said with a grim look, gesturing between himself and the Hatter._

" _No, not really. They just don't want either of you to remain alive"._

" _Oh, that's cheered me up," the Hatter said sarcastically, giving Dorium a dark look. She couldn't tell if he was being purposely annoying right now, though she supposed that she probably wouldn't have blamed him if she herself wasn't a tad exasperated with the whole situation right now. He was stuck inside a box, unable to move or speak to anyone unless they somehow ended up down here. She imagined she probably would try and have a bit of fun with them too, in his position._

" _Yes, that's okay, then," the Doctor nodded, rolling his eyes at Dorium, "I was a bit worried for a minute there"._

" _You're a man and woman with a long past," Dorium told them, not bothered by their sarcasm, "But your futures are infinitely more terrifying…" the Time Lords exchanged a brief look as he continued, "The Silence believe it must be averted"._

 _The Time Lady sighed heavily, running her free hand down her face, "Time travel really does complicated things, doesn't it?" she said warily, dropping her hand back to her side and looking back to Dorium, suddenly feeling so very tired, "I don't suppose you could have warned us about all of this the last time we saw each other?" she raised her eyebrows at him, "It could have saved us quite a bit of bother"._

" _It was a busy day and I got beheaded"._

" _What's so dangerous about our futures?" the Doctor asked, frowning deeply at him, casting the Hatter a quick, worried look beside him._

" _On the Fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely, or fail to answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered"._

 _The Doctor, still frowning, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, yellowed notebook and flipped it open, "'Silence will fall when the question is asked…'" he read aloud, looking back up._

" _Silence MUST fall would be the better translation," Dorium corrected, his eyes flickering between them both, "The Silence are determined the question will never be answered. That neither the Doctor, nor the Hatter, or even their child, will ever reach Trenzalore"._

" _I don't understand," he shook his head, slipping the notepad back inside his pocket, exchanging an alarmed look with the Hatter, "What does it have to do with us?"_

" _Not to mention our child?" the Hatter added, swallowing hard at the mention of Astra. She was safe on Earth, nowhere near this Trenzalore, so how could she have anything to do with any of this?_

" _The first question," Dorium replied, staring back at them, very seriously, "The oldest question in the Universe, hidden in plain sight. Would you like to know what it is?"_

" _Yes," the Time Lords said instantly._

" _Are you sure?" he raised his eyebrows at them, just as the skulls around them all began turning in their direction, a faint whisper of noise running through the room again, to low for any of them to understand, "Very, very sure?"_

 _The Doctor and the Hatter edged closer to each other, both looking around at all the skulls, quite unnerved to see them all staring back at them. Slowly, they looked back to Dorium, who was watching them both calmly as the Doctor swallowed, "Of course," he said, trying hard to seem unconcerned._

" _Then I shall tell you," he smirked slowly, "But on your own heads be it," he laughed as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look._

…

 _The Doctor and the Hatter threw the TARDIS doors open, storming inside as the Doctor carried Dorium's box, the lid closed on it as they headed up towards the console, the Hatter moving straight across to the controls, setting them off into the Time Vortex, more than happy to get as far away from those awful tunnels as possible, though the smell still lingered._

" _It's not my fault!" Dorium was shouting from within the box, his voice slightly muffled by the wood, "Put me back!" he demanded, but the Doctor ignored him and, slightly harder than necessary, placed the box onto one of the jump seats, before moving to join the Hatter at the controls, "Ow!" he yelped from inside the box, "I've fallen on my nose!"_

 _The Doctor made his way around the console to where the Hatter had grabbed the monitor hanging above the controls, adjusting the small dial on the side of the screen as he reached her. They both looked up at the screen as static filled it briefly before an image appeared on the screen of the two of them standing together with a rocky, sandy looking background behind them as they directly faced the camera, both looking very serious. On the other side of the screen, beside the picture, was the date, time, and location of their deaths:_

 _22/04/2011_

 _5:02 PM_

 _Location: Lake Silencio, Utah._

" _Have you got Wi-Fie here?" Dorium's voice carried over to them, though the Time Lords barely blinked, their eyes fixed on the screen, "I'm bored already and my nose is hurting. We all have to die, Doctor, Hatter…but you two more than most," the Doctor and the Hatter slowly looked at each other, their faces pale, "You do see that, don't you? You know what the question is now. You do see that you have to die"._

…..….. _ **Present**_ …..….

The Doctor and the Hatter walked along together, hand-in-hand, as they made their way into a large, open spaced, formal looking room that had large pillars and marble floor, while Churchill followed just a step behind them, frowning deeply as he listened to their story.

"But what was the question?" Churchill asked them, his voice echoing around the almost empty room, "Why did it mean your deaths?"

The Time Lords paused in the middle of the room, turning back to him as they exchanged a quick look, "Suppose there was a man and woman who knew a secret," the Doctor began, choosing his words carefully, "A terrible, dangerous secret that must never be told. How would you erase that secret from the world?" he raised his eyebrows at Churchill, "Destroy it forever, before it can be spoken".

He paused briefly, considering it before he took a deep breath, "If I had to, I'd destroy the man and woman," he replied, looking grave.

The Hatter nodded slowly, "And so silence would fall," she said softly, sighing heavily as she glanced back to the Doctor, squeezing his hand, "We've heard those very same words spoken to us so many times now, but we never thought for a moment that it meant us, _our_ silence," she swallowed, lowering her head and closing her eyes tightly, "Our deaths".

"The Doctor and the Hatter will fall," the Doctor murmured, looking sadly to the Hatter, who lifted her head to give him a tiny smile, full of sorrow.

In an attempt to compose herself, she looked away from the Doctor and cast her eyes around the room, only to frown slightly as something didn't quite make sense to her, "Wait a minute…" she looked quickly back over to Churchill, a puzzled expression crossing her face, "What are we doing in _this_ room?"

"This?" Churchill looked around, too, not seeming to notice his hand reaching to grab his revolver, even though there was really no need for it in the first place, "This is the Senate Room".

"Yes," she nodded slowly, still looking quite confused, "But why did we leave your office in the first place?"

"Well, we wanted to stroll, didn't we?" he said with a small shrug, before he paused, looking down to see his gun in his hand, frowning at it slightly in confusion.

The Doctor, glancing at the Hatter, pressed his fingertips against his pulse in his wrist, "I think I've been running," he remarked in mild alarm as the Hatter blinked slightly, also taking her pulse, feeling it far more elevated then it ought to be from just a simple stroll. Something was wrong, something was very wrong and they slowly moved closer to each other, the Doctor wrapping a protective arm around the brunet's waist, when he looked back over to Churchill to see him still eyeing the gun in his hand, "Why do you have your revolver?" he questioned him, nodding to the weapon, tensing.

"Well…" he blinked slightly, looking up from the weapon, appearing to be trying to come up with a logical explanation, "You're dangerous company, Soothsayers".

The Hatter frowned as she absently glanced down at her arm, her eyes widening slightly to find a single black line on her pale skin. She knew what that meant, even if her memories were still completely blank. She swallowed, hard, and looked at the Doctor to see him also looking down at his arm where he also had a single black line on his arm, his eyes meeting hers as they exchanged a very worried look.

"Yes…" the Doctor said quietly, looking back across to Churchill, only pulling the Time Lady closer to his side, "I think we are".

Churchill glanced briefly down at the gun in his hand, before looking back up to them, "Resume your story".

…..… _ **Past**_ ….….…

" _Doctor, Hatter…" Dorium sighed as the Time Lords worked at the controls, trying hard to ignore him as they worked, "Please, open my hatch. I've got an awful headache"._

 _The Hatter closed her eyes briefly, trying very hard to resist against the temptation to grab the damn box and move it into another room, preferably somewhere very far away from them so that they wouldn't have to listen to his constantly nattering about Wi-Fi and being bored. She pushed herself off the edge of the controls and moved around the console, seeing the Doctor looking even more annoyed, and made her way over to the box._

"… _which, to be honest, means more than it used to," he continued, his voice sounding even more muffled. The Hatter slid the door open and blinked slightly, struggling to contain a smile as she realised that he Doctor had accidently sat the box upside down, or at least she thought it had been accidental, she couldn't quite be sure. He might have done it just to annoy Dorium, "It's like some terrible weight pressing down on my…" he stopped, grimacing slightly as he opened his eyes and looked upside down at her, realisation crossing his face, "Oh, I see…"_

 _She didn't bother holding back a laugh as she carefully picked the box back up, sitting it up properly, "Sorry about that," she said with a smile, patting the top of the box apologetically._

" _Why Lake Silencio?" the Doctor frowned as he moved around the console towards them, looking at Dorium, "Why…Utah?"_

" _It's a still point in time," Dorium explained, and the Hatter's eyebrows rose, surprised. You didn't come across moments like that very often, "Makes it easier to create a fixed point. And your death's is a fixed point, Doctor, Hatter. You can't run away from this"._

" _Been running all our lives," he said carelessly, wrapping his arm around the Hatter's waist as she frowned faintly, "Why should we stop?"_

" _Because now you know what's at stake. Why your lives must end"._

 _He shook his head, dropping his arm from the Hatter as he turned back towards the console, "Not today," he said firmly, his eyes flickering back to the Hatter_

" _Sweetheart…" the Hatter watched him warily; sighing sadly as he picked up the phone from the console, lifting the receiver up to his ear as he quickly dialled a number, rocking back and forth slightly on his heels. She knew what he was doing and while she completely understood it, she also couldn't help feeling that perhaps it was time, as hard and as heartbreaking as it was for her to have to accept. But she was so tired, she hadn't felt this tired since the end of the Time War when she believed that she had lost everything that held any value; when she would have been quite ready to allow herself to just die. This time it was different, however, because she knew that Astra was still alive and out there, she had the Doctor right beside her, but even she was forced to admit that you could only run from death for so long before it would catch up to you and they had been running for so long now. She didn't want to die, she wanted to see her daughter grow up and keep travelling and going on mad adventures, but nothing could last forever, not even them._

" _What's the point of delaying? How long have you delayed already?"_

 _The Doctor glanced back over to Dorium, the phone still pressed against his ear, "Been knocking about," he said lightly, shrugging, "A bit of a farewell tour. Things to do, people to see. There's always more," he pointed at them, looking as if he was trying to convince himself, more than Dorium or the Hatter, "We could invent a new colour, Hatter, save the Dodo, join the Beatles…well, I could, Hatter's never been much for playing music, except for singing and the piano…"_

" _Not to mention the fact that I somehow can't see an all man band letting a woman join," the Hatter added with a small smile, moving to sit down on the jump seat beside Dorium's box, watching the Doctor._

" _Never stopped you before, dear," he grinned and winked at her, before his eyes lit up, "Hello, it's me!" he called happily over the phone, while the Time Lady looked at him curiously, wondering who he would be phoning right now, "Get him! Tell him, we're going out and it's all on us, except for the money and driving…" he lowered the phone from his ear, pressing it against his shoulder as he looked back to Dorium, "I have got a time machine, Dorium. It's all still going on. For us, it never stops," he shook his head, "Liz the First is still waiting for me in a glade to elope with me…which will never, EVER happen," he added hastily with a quick glance at the Hatter, who had just crossed her arms across her chest and was frowning at him._

" _Yes, what a lovely memory from our honeymoon to look back on," the Time Lady commented sarcastically, shaking her head._

 _He cringed slightly, deciding it would probably be best to hurry on off that topic right now, "Or I could help Rose Tyler with her homework…" he paused, frowning slightly at himself, "Actually, maybe not…" he muttered, recalling how Rose had behaved towards the Hatter, something he found to be unacceptable now and still couldn't believe he let her get away with during his Tenth regeneration. He cleared his throat, glancing back to them, "But we could go on all of Jack's stag parties in one night!" he said hurriedly._

" _You can," the brunet said, pulling a face at the thought of just what sort of things Jack probably got up to on his stag nights. She might be over a thousand years old, but even she thought she was too young to be witnessing all of that._

" _Time catches up with us all, Doctor," Dorium told him firmly._

 _The Doctor whirled back around, pointing at him, "Well, it has never laid a glove on me!" he said fiercely, glaring at him for a moment before giving him a forced smile, looking as if he was trying to calm himself down as he noticed the Hatter's sharp look. He took a deep breath and lifted the receiver back up to his ear, "Hello?" he called over it, sounding quite pleasant all of a sudden._

 _He listened for a moment and the Hatter frowned slowly, watching as his whole demeanour changed and his smile faded, his eyes staring off into the distant, not appearing to actually be looking at anything. She slowly rose from her chair and took a step closer to him, her eyes fixed worriedly on his face as he seemed to have completely frozen. Something was very, very wrong, but she just couldn't tell what and it was really starting to scare her, seeing him looking off into space, completely blank, as if he couldn't even comprehend what he was hearing on the other end of the phone._

" _Doctor?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch his arm._

 _He gave a small jolt and blinked rapidly, his eyes meeting hers, "Yes," he said blankly into the phone, not looking away from her face, "Yes, I…" he trailed off and squeezed his eyes shut, looking pained for a long moment before he opened his eyes again, looking quite stunned as he listened._

" _Sweetheart?" the Hatter gripped his arm tighter, feeling her hearts starting to beat faster with rising panic, "Doctor, tell me what's happened? You're starting to scare me"._

 _The Doctor blinked again, slowly lowering the phone back down to its cradle on the console as he looked back to her for a long moment. He moved to place his hands on her shoulders, opening and closing his mouth for a moment as he seemed to struggle to try and find the right words, "I…um…" he swallowed, licking his lips as he stared back at her._

" _Doctor, just tell me, please," she practically begged, terror gripping her now. What could he possibly have just found out to have driven him to this state? She knew it couldn't be anything to do with Astra, but who else could it be?_

" _Hatter…it's the Brigadier…"_

 _She held up her finger, silencing him as she closed her eyes tightly, suddenly feeling quite ill as it hit her just what he had found out. She didn't need him to finish, for him to have to speak the words because she knew. The Brigadier was dead; one of their oldest and dearest friends was gone. She couldn't quite believe it, the Brigadier was just one of those people that she had known would die one day, in fact she had even known how it would happen, but she had never logically thought about when that time would come as it had now. How many centuries had passed since their first meeting with that man? She couldn't even count, he truly had been one of the best men she had ever had the pleasure of knowing, even if they did have their moments in the past and didn't always agree. The friendship that she and the Doctor had with the Brigadier had been one of a kind and now, he was gone._

" _Doctor?" Dorium's voice called through the room, making the Time Lords jump slightly, having almost completely forgotten that he was even in the room with them. The Hatter hastily opened her eyes and wiped her cheeks clean of tears, while the Doctor cleared his throat slightly, blinking rapidly, "Hatter? What's wrong?"_

" _Nothing…" the Doctor shook his head, trying to get his thoughts in order, but he just couldn't stop thinking about the friend they had just lost, "Nothing. It's just…" he looked back to the Time Lady, who reached up to cup his cheek, running her thumb across his cheek bone as she gave him a small nod, knowing without saying it what they had to do now, "It's time," he breathed, reaching up to take her hand from his cheek, holding it tightly._

" _Yes," she nodded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the TARDIS blue envelops that they had got from Craig. She sniffed slightly, toying with the edge of one of the envelops, "It's time, sweetheart"._

 _It didn't matter how long or how far they tried to run, not anymore because by the time that they would be ready to stop, everyone they cared for would be gone, just like the Brigadier. Neither of them wanted to die alone, for this to be it, but if they kept fighting and running, refusing to accept the truth, then that was exactly what was going to happen. There was only one thing they could do now, one last thing before the end._

…

 _The Doctor placed the small pile of blue envelops on the table before the Teselecta disguised as Vandaleur, cursive writing written across the paper in silver ink. He and the Hatter rose from their seats, looking sadly across to the robot._

" _Surely you could deliver the messages yourself?" the captain said in Vandaleur's voice, looking back up to them._

" _Doing that would mean crossing our own time streams," the Hatter sighed grimly, glancing at the Doctor beside her, reaching out to take his hand as she turned back to the Teselcta, "You ought to understand the dangers of doing that"._

" _According to our files, this is the end for you two. Your final journey. We'll deliver your messages. You can depend on us"._

 _The Doctor nodded slowly, "Thank you," he and the Hatter turned, walking across to the door, reaching out to open it._

" _Doctor, Hatter," the captain called after them, making them pause and look back to the Teslecta, seeing that it had risen from its seat, "Whatever you think of the Teselecta, we are champions of law and order just as you have always been. Is there nothing else we can do?"_

 _The Hatter gave the robot a small, sad little smile, grateful for their attempt to help, even if it was too late for them. She squeezed the Doctor's hand, who gave her a sad look and held the door open wider for her as she stepped outside, following behind her…_

…. _ **Present**_ …..…

"Why would you do this?" Churchill frowned at them, looking between both Time Lords, seeming to be very confused, "Of all the things you're told me, this I find hardest to believe," he shook his head, "Why would you invite your friends to see your deaths?"

"We had to die," the Doctor told him, looking back to the Hatter, "We didn't have to die alone".

… _ **Past**_ ….….…

 _The Doctor and the Hatter were sitting on the bonnet of the oversized American, 1960's red and white station wagon, the Doctor wearing his Stetson and the Hatter still in her purple tights, parked off on the side of the desert road in the middle of Utah with the sun slowly starting to rise overhead, casting a pink hue over in the sky and over the rocky, orange and red landscape that surrounded them. The Time Lords watched as a bright yellow school bus drove down the road, pulling off to the opposite side of the road for a moment._

" _Thanks!" they heard the younger version of Amy shouting to the driver from the other side of the bus._

" _You're welcome!" the driver called back, before the sound of the doors being closed reached them and the bus drove off from the side of the road, heading away from them, revealing the younger versions of Amy and Rory on the opposite side of the road, not seeing the Time Lords yet and wearing large backpacks._

" _This is it, yeah?" Amy asked as she looked around, her back to the Doctor and the Hatter, who watched with fond, slightly sad smiles, "The right place?"_

" _Uh…nowhere, middle of?" Rory held out his hand, looking around, too, "Yeah, this is it"._

 _The Hatter glanced at the Doctor, raising an eyebrow, "Will you do the honours, sweetheart?" she whispered to him._

 _He flashed her a grin and quickly kissed her cheek, before looking back across to Amy and Rory, "Howdy!" he called over to them, unable to resist putting on an American twang to his accent._

 _Amy and Rory whirled around, startled, breaking into wide smiles as they caught sight of them, "Doctor!" Amy said happily, her face lighting up, "Hatter!"_

" _Ha, ha!" the Doctor laughed in delight, leaping up off the car's bonnet, pointing at the humans, "It's the Ponds!" he paused to offer the Hatter a hand to slip off the bonnet, before turning to throw his arms around Amy in a big hug, "Hello, Pond. Come here!"_

" _Hey!" Amy exclaimed brightly, hugging him back tightly._

" _Oh, it's so wonderful to see you both!" the Hatter cheered excitedly, moving to also hug Amy as the Doctor released her. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around Amy, grinning so widely that it was actually starting to hurt, thrilled to see them again after so many centuries apart, even if it was a younger version of them. She then let go Amy to bundle up Rory into a massive hug, which he slightly awkwardly returned, seeming a bit startled by the gesture, "And we can't forget Rory!" she said brightly, pulling away from the hug after a moment, though she left her arm draped around his shoulders as she ignored the backpack on his back, "I've missed you two," she told them sincerely, looking between the couple._

 _Amy laughed and lightly nudged the Doctor's side, "So, someone's been busy, eh?"_

" _Did you see us?" the Doctor grinned broadly and quite proudly, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter, who laughed slightly, both recalling how they had spent two hundred years travelling through time, trying to wave back at Amy and Rory, sometimes just in the hope that they might catch an obscure reference to them. It had been fun to do so and they had certainly got into quite a bit of trouble at times, but they had a laugh and, apparently, it had worked._

" _Of course!" she nodded._

" _Stalker!"_

" _Flirt!"_

" _Husband," Rory cut in, holding up his hand._

" _Oh, I've missed this," the Hatter said happily, dropping her arm from around Rory's shoulders, truly feeling like it was the old days again, though the reason for why they were here in the first place was a bit of a sharp reminder._

" _Rory the Roman!" the Doctor cried, and moved to hug Rory, "Ooh, come here!" he threw his arms around him, ignoring Rory's shout of surprise and flying hands._

….….. _ **Present**_ …

"Ah, Amy and Rory," the Hatter said fondly, thinking back to their old companions, smiling sadly at the memories of all their time together.

"The last Centurion and the girl who waited," the Doctor nodded, looking gently at the Time Lady, knowing what she was thinking, "However dark it got, we'd turn around, and there they'd be," he looked back to Churchill, his expression growing serious, "If it's time to go, remember what you're leaving behind. Remember the best," he looked back to the Hatter, his expression softening as their eyes meet, before he looked back to Churchill, "Our friends have always been the best of us".

"And did you tell them this was going to happen?" Churchill asked curiously, looking between them.

"You know, this story would be finished quickly if you didn't keep interrupting with questions," the Time Lady commented lightly, giving him a fleeting smile to show that she wasn't annoyed, but her smile faded as her eyes dropped down to her arm where two new lines had been added to the first mark on her skin. She swallowed, looking back up to see the Doctor also looking down at his own arm, "And we really don't have a great deal of time to waste right now," she murmured warily.

….….. _ **Past**_ ….….…

 _The Hatter shook her head fondly and stepped beside Amy, linking her arm with hers, while they both laughed as they watched the slightly one sided hug between the Doctor and Rory, Rory seeming to be even more surprised by the hug then he had been with the Hatter's hug. After a moment, the Doctor pulled away and grabbed Rory's cheeks, patting them before letting him go completely, grinning at the girls._

 _Rory reached up to rub his cheeks with a slightly uncomfortable expression, "Hey, nice hat," he pointed at the Stetson, before he paused, glancing at the Hatter to see that her hat was absent, "Hey, what happened to…?" he began in confusion, when the Doctor cut him off._

" _I wear a Stetson now," he said quickly with a smile, trying to act casual as the Hatter shifted slightly, "Stetsons are cool"._

 _Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and the Doctor's hat was sent flying off his head as it was hit with the bullet, making them all flitch and spin around in the direction of the shot, seeing a curly haired figure standing in the rays of the rising sun._

… _ **Present**_ …

"And this woman you spoke of," Churchill raised his eyebrows, "Did you invite her?"

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick look.

…..… _ **Past**_ ….…..…..

 _The figure stepped out of the blinding sunlight to reveal River Song, holding a gun and lightly blowing away the smoke from it, before she slipped it away inside her holster strapped to her leg and looking back up to them, smirking._

" _Hello, sweetie," she greeted them, "Honeykins"._

" _River!" the Hatter exclaimed, giving her a disapproving look, "How many times do I have to tell you? We do NOT shoot hats!"_

" _Not to mention the fact it was sitting on my head at the time," the Doctor added with a pointed look towards the Time Lady, who coughed slightly embarrassedly and gave him a sheepish smile._

" _Ah, yes, sorry, sweetheart"._

 _River laughed, shaking her head fondly at them._

…..….. _ **Present**_ …..…

"Yes, she was there," the Doctor told Churchill, while the Hatter sighed heavily.

….… _ **Past**_ ….

 _The Doctor and the Hatter sat side-by-side in the red leather booth in a 1950's style dinner, while River sat in the booth across from them, flickering through her shabby looking TARDIS diary, while the Hatter held a similar book in her hands, only it had Rassilon's symbol on the front cover, also flicking through the pages that were covered in her own neat loopy writing with some sections written in the Doctor's slightly spiky handwriting. Amy and Rory were ordering some drinks from the counter._

" _Right then, where are we?" River asked aloud, moving through the pages in her own book, "Have we done Easter Island yet?" she paused on a page, glancing back across to them._

 _The Hatter sighed as she found the corrected page, throwing the Doctor a quick look as he grinned beside her, "I'm afraid so"._

 _She smiled, looking amused by the Hatter's less than happy expression, "They worshipped you there," she nodded to the Doctor, who looked even smugger as the Time Lady rolled her eyes, "Have you seen the statues?"_

" _Please, let's not boost his ego anymore," the brunet said firmly, giving River a look, shaking her head tiredly, "Goodness knows it was bad enough having to live through the experience the first time round. I do not need to be reminded"._

" _Hey!" the Doctor pouted at her, "I'm right here"._

 _She rolled her eyes again and looked back to the open book in her hands, ignoring him, while River laughed, "Ooh, what about Jim the Fish?" she raised her eyebrows, looking back across to her._

 _River's eyes lit up in delight, "Oh, Jim the Fish!" she clapped her hands together excitedly, "How is he?"_

" _Still building his dam," the Doctor replied, just as Amy and Rory joined them, Rory joining River's side, while Amy squeezed herself beside the Hatter, passing the Time Lords their bottles of coke._

" _Sorry," Rory frowned slightly, looking confused as he looked between the Time Lords and River, "What are you three doing?"_

" _They're time travellers," Amy explained to him, shrugging as she sipped her own coke, "So they never meet in the right order. They're syncing their diaries," she fiddled with her straw in her drink, looking over to the Doctor and the Hatter, "So, what's happening, then? Because you've been up to something"._

 _The Doctor and the Hatter slowly looked at each other, glancing back to Amy as she smiled knowingly at them. They both hesitated, before the Doctor sighed, "We've been running, faster than we've ever run," he began, taking the Hatter's hand, "And we've been running our whole lives"._

" _But now it's time for us to stop," the Hatter continued grimly, forcing herself to try and smile as she looked back up to Amy, Rory, and River, meeting all of their eyes briefly, "In fact, that time has come tonight and we want all of you to be there with us"._

 _Amy shifted slightly; looking a little concerned by how serious they both seemed, "Okay," she nodded, glancing quickly back across to Rory and River, and back to them, "We're here. What's up?"_

" _A picnic," the Doctor answered, breaking into a small smile, "And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere brand new"._

" _Where?"_

" _Why, space, of course," the Hatter said, forcing herself to sound light and happy, "In 1969"._

…. _ **Present**_ …

"In fact, River Song came twice," the Hatter commented, closing her eyes briefly and releasing a long breath.

…. _ **Past**_ ….

 _A red and white blanket had been set out across the sand of Lake Silencio, having their picnic on the large, beautiful beach that looked like it could have easily have been on another planet with crystal blue water, surrounded by orange mountains and with the moon only just faintly visible in the clear blue sky. The Doctor and the Hatter were relaxing back on the blanket beside each other, propped up on their elbows with their legs stretched out before them, the Time Lady's ankles crossed, while Amy, River, and Rory were sitting on the blanket, forming a circle around a plate with cheese and grapes on it. The Doctor was pouring wine into everyone's glasses._

" _Um, Hatter," Amy frowned slightly, watching the Doctor pouring wine into the Hatter's glass, "Should you really be drinking, or is it just a human thing?"_

 _The Hatter raised her eyebrows, puzzled, "What's wrong with drinking wine?"_

" _Well, you're…" she hesitated, glancing quickly at River, who gave her a little wink and smiled knowingly, before turning back to her, "Pregnant"._

 _The Hatter blinked for a moment, before bursting out laughing, "Oh, don't worry about that, Amy," she shook her head, still giggling slightly as she noticed the Doctor's faint smile, "Trust me, that's not an issue right now"._

 _Amy looked slightly confused, but didn't say anything as the Doctor lifted the dusty looking wine bottle up, eyeing it thoughtfully, "Napoleon gave me this bottle," he remarked, and the Hatter nudged his side, giving him a pointed, amused look, "Well, I say gave…threw"._

" _Yes, that's far more accurate," the Time Lady agreed, laughing slightly, "Who would have thought he had such a rubbish aim?" she shook her head._

 _He flashed her a grin, quickly kissing her cheek, "Or I'm just good at ducking"._

" _Well, you've certainly had enough practice over the centuries"._

 _He looked back to the others, who were smiling and lifted the bottle up, "Salud!" he toasted happily._

" _Salud!" they all toasted each other, clinking their glasses together and sipping their wine, save for the Doctor and the Hatter, who lowered their own glasses, or the whole bottle, in the Doctor's case, as they watched the others drink._

 _Rory swallowed his mouthful of wine, lowering his glass as he looked at the Time Lords curiously, "So, when are we going to 1969?"_

" _And since when do you two drink wine?" Amy added, eyeing the Time Lords from over the rim of her glass._

" _We're eleven hundred and three," the Doctor commented with a shrug, glancing at the Hatter, who was looking slightly amused, "I must've drunk it sometimes…" he began lifting the bottle up to his lips._

" _Not very successfully in this body, however," the Hatter said quietly, already knowing what was coming, but she really couldn't find it in her to stop him. It was just too funny._

 _He took a large gulp from the bottle and instantly spat it out onto the sand just behind him, "Ew!" he cringed as he roughly wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, looking down at the bottle in his hands with a disgusted look, "Oh, why it's horrid," he shook his head as Amy and the Hatter laughed at him, Rory and River simply smiling, "I thought it would taste more like the gums"._

 _The Time Lady pattered his leg fondly, "I'm sure it wasn't that awful," she lifted her own glass up to her lips and took a small sip, before shrugging as she swallowed her mouthful, sitting her glass back down, "Meh, not really my drink. I seem to recall my past two regenerations hated alcohol"._

" _Wise, wise women," the Doctor nodded to her, flashing her a smile._

" _Oh, and I'm not wise because I don't mind the taste?"_

" _Um…no!" he looked slightly panicked for a moment, tripping over his words, "That's not what…I didn't mean…"_

" _So!" Amy said loudly, deciding it would probably be best to intervene before the Doctor made an even bigger fool of himself, while the Hatter simply looked more amused than annoyed, "Eleven hundred and three?" she looked between the Time Lords, "You were nine hundred and eight the last time we saw you…" her eyes widened, her entire face lighting up, "Hang on, that means you would have had the baby!"_

 _The Hatter cleared her throat and took another sip from her glass, avoiding her and Rory's eyes, "Spoilers"._

" _Oh, come on, at least tell us if it's a boy and girl?"_

" _You've out on a few pounds," the Doctor said suddenly, trying to get off the subject of baby's, hoping that the insult towards Amy's figure would be enough to distract her. He cleared his throat, looking away from her, "I wasn't going to mention it…"_

" _Which reminds me, give me that glass," the Hatter leaned over to Amy and plucked the wine glass out of her hands, giving her a stern look at Amy went to argue, looking startled, "No wine for you. Trust me, you'll be grateful later," she took Amy's glass and tipped out the win onto the sand, thinking about the fact that right now, Amy was currently pregnant and how alcohol really didn't mix well with pregnancy._

" _Hatter, I was drinking that!"_

" _Well, I really wouldn't advise you to attempt to drink it now. It's got sand in it"._

 _Amy sighed and exchanged a quick glance with Rory, looking quite annoyed over the fact that she had her wine taken off her, like she was a child, when something seemed to catch her eye off in the distance, "Who's that?" she frowned._

" _Hmm?" Rory blinked, looking at her, "Who's who?"_

 _She looked back to him blankly, giving her head a small shake, "Sorry, what?"_

" _What did you see?" he asked, missing the look that the Doctor and the Hatter just exchanged, "You said you saw something"._

" _No, I didn't"._

" _Ah, the moon," the Doctor said suddenly, pointing across to where the moon was still faint in the sky, looming over the lake, "Look at it! Of course, you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you?" he glanced back to Amy and Rory, "Big, silvery thing in the sky. You couldn't resist it," he smiled faintly, "Quite right"._

" _The moon landing was in '69," Rory remarked, pointing his wine glass at the Time Lords, "Is that where we're going?"_

" _Not exactly," the Hatter shook her head, her expression growing slightly sad as she looked back over to the moon in the sky, "There's plenty of stuff going on in '69, of course, no one even remembers half of it"._

" _Human beings," the Doctor said grimly, glancing around at them all before his eyes fell on the Hatter, reaching out to take her hand, "And we'd thought we would never get done saving you"._

" _Everything ends," the brunet murmured, swallowing hard._

… _..….._ _ **Present**_ …..…

"We made sure that everything was in place," the Hatter sighed, looking at Churchill, who was listening to everything intently, "We had planned for almost every aspect that we had thought of, but we still have one thing that we needed to do".

The Doctor nodded, his expression wary, "We only had to die".

….….. _ **Past**_ …

 _The sound of a car's engine reached them and they all looked up, just as a large car with a big tray on the back of it pulled up at the top of the hill. The driver's door opened and a old man with a white beard and an old baseball cap stepped out, closing the door behind him as the Doctor took a deep breath and rose from the picnic blanket, helping the Hatter up as they looked up to the man, a man who looked far older then the last time they had last laid eyes on him in 1969 when all wanted to do was to get married to his male partner. The Doctor and the Hatter held up their hands in greeting and the man waved back to them, before the Time Lords lowered their arms back to their sides, suddenly looking very old and tired._

" _Who's he?" Amy asked, slightly confused._

 _River and Rory stood, but River wasn't staring at the new man, her eyes were fixed on the lake, "Oh, my God!" she gasped, making them all turn around and Amy jump onto her feet, staring at the shallow water of the lake where an Apollo Astronaut was standing knee deep in the water, looking back up the beach to them with the bronze visor down._

" _Listen to me very carefully," the Hatter told them firmly as she and the Doctor took a step forward, towards the lake, their eyes fixed on the Astronaut, "You are all to stay back, no one is to try and interfere," she swallowed, trying hard to keep her voice level, "No matter what happens or what you might witness here today, you will do NOTHING. This is how it's supposed to be," she finished softly._

 _The Doctor and the Hatter set off down the beach towards where the Astronaut had stepped up onto the shoreline, holding hands as they went, neither of them looking back to their friends as they approached the figure. They turned to face each other as they came to a stop beside the lake._

" _Hello," the Doctor said to the suit, nodding to the figure._

" _It's okay," the Hatter said gently when the figure didn't move. She struggled to give the visor a reassuring smile, "We already know who you are and that's okay. Don't be afraid"._

 _Slowly, the figure raised their arm and lifted the visor to reveal River Song trapped inside the suit, staring back at them with a pale face as she appeared to be struggling not to cry._

" _Well, then…" the Doctor forced a smile, taking a deep breath, "Here we are at last"._

" _I can't stop it," River shook her head, blinking back tears, "The suit's in control"._

" _You're not supposed to," he said softly, "This HAS to happen"._

" _Run," she begged._

" _We tried that," the Hatter replied, looking at her sadly, hating to see River so trapped and forced against her will to commit this act. River was just a pawn, that's all she had ever been, "We're been running for so long now, trying to get away from this very moment, but not even we can run forever"._

" _I'm trying to fight it, but I can't. It's too strong"._

" _I know," the Doctor nodded, his expression gentle, "It's okay. This is where we die," he squeezed the Hatter's hand, "This is a fixed point. This MUST happen. This ALWAYS happens"._

" _But that's okay, River," the Time Lady assured her, giving her a sad smile, blinking back tears herself, "It's alright, please don't cry. You won't even remember this," she allowed her eyes to move back over to Amy, Rory, and the older River where still standing, watching them with worried looks, "Just look over there, see for yourself"._

 _River followed her gaze carefully, not turning her head enough to reveal her face, and gasped at the sight of herself standing only just up the hill from them, "That's me," she realised tearfully, "How can I be there?"_

" _That's you from the future," the Doctor explained to her, "Serving time for a murder you probably can't remember. Our murder"._

" _Why would you do that? Make me watch?"_

" _Because you need to know that this must happen," the Hatter told her firmly, meeting her eyes, "And most importantly of all…" her expression softened, "So that you know that we forgive you"._

" _Always and completely forgiven," the Doctor agreed._

 _River gasped and her eyes widened as, without her permission, the arm of her suit began to rise, "Please, for your child," she pleaded, looking fearfully at her arm as it continued to slowly lift, "Please, please, please just run!"_

" _Our child will grow up to know us, from the people who knew us best," the Hatter said with tears breaking free at last, desperately just trying to keep her head raised, "This must happen and I hope with everything that I hold dear in this Universe, that she will understand one day, even if we might not deserve that"._

" _Time can be rewritten"._

" _Don't you dare," the Doctor said sharply, his expression growing hard for a moment before he looked at the Hatter. He gave her a heartbreaking smile and lifted up his free hand to gently wipe her tears away, before he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Know that I have loved you from the moment I first saw you in the Academy's library, my dearest, Hatter"._

 _The Hatter chocked back a sob, struggling to give him a smile as he pulled back from her, his hand still cupping her cheek, "All those years we could have been together," she murmured, staring into his green eyes that were swimming with tears, "But the thing was, we WERE together. Always and completely, because from the moment we first meet, our journey began, leading us to this point. And I wouldn't change one line of it, my sweetheart," she sniffed as they turned back to River, both knowing that there was no point trying to put it off any longer. She gave her a gentle smile, meaning every word as she said, "I'm so very glad to have known you, River Song"._

" _Goodbye, River," the Doctor nodded to her, struggling to hold back tears as he gave her a very tiny wink, before he closed his eyes and bowed his head._

 _River shook her head, sobbing softly as the Hatter gave her one last smile and allowed her eyes to slip closed too, bowing her head, both accepting their fates and knowing that this had to happened, no matter what. They waited for the end to come and when six shots rang out they both flinched at the sound, when the shots suddenly stopped and they both stood frozen for a moment, their eyes squeezed shut as it hit them at the same time: they were still alive. Slowly, they opened their eyes, finding River's smirking face before them._

" _Hello, sweetie, honeykins," she grinned at them._

" _What have you done?" the Doctor demanded, horrified._

" _River!" the Hatter gasped, her eyes widening in shock._

" _Well…" River said casually, even shrugging carelessly, "I think I just drained my weapons systems"._

" _No, no, no, no!" the Time Lady shook her head so quickly that it actually made her dizzy, staring back at River, completely appalled, "You can't just…River, this is a FIXED point in time!"_

" _Fixed points can be rewritten"._

" _No, they can't!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking quickly to the Hatter and back to her, "Of course they can't. Who told you that…"_

 _Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of bright white light that cut him off, when everything around them began to dissolve as time was changed._

…..…. _ **Present**_ …..….….

"Well?" Churchill's voice rang through the room, looking impatiently between the Doctor and the Hatter as they lapsed into silence, "What happened?"

"Nothing," the Doctor said simply.

"Nothing?" he repeated, frowning at them.

"Yes, _nothing_ ," the Hatter agreed, nodding warily, sighing, "But then even the nothing kept happening".

"Or, if you prefer, everything happened at once, and won't ever stop," the Doctor added grimly, "Time is dying. It's going to be 5:02 in the afternoon for all eternity. A needle stuck on a record".

"A record?" Churchill closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, "Good Lord, man, have you never heard of downloads?"

He glanced at him as the Hatter smiled faintly, "Said Winston Churchill".

"That would be very funny if it wasn't so serious," the Hatter remarked, amused.

Churchill sniffed suddenly, his eyes widening in alarm, "Gun smoke. That's gun smoke!" he quickly held up the revolver still in his hands, eyeing it, "Oh, I appear to have fired this".

The Doctor looked down to see he was holding a large ceremonial spear in his hands, while the Hatter also had one, frowning down at it as she turned it over in her hands. It was quite a strange sight to see her holding a weapon, "We seem to be defending ourselves," he concluded, exchanging a quick look with the brunet.

"I don't understand," Churchill said quietly, looking quite confused.

"The creatures that lead the Silence," the Hatter began hurriedly, keeping her voice low as her eyes flew around the room, gripping the spear tighter in her hands, even though the thing felt awkward to hold, "They truly are incredible beings, we've certainly never come across anything like them before because, you see, they're memory proof".

"But what does that mean?"

The Doctor and the Hatter began to try and back out of the room, while Churchill followed them, "You can't remember them," the Doctor said, looking around nervously, wishing he could take the Hatter's hand right now, but if they needed to defend themselves, that wouldn't work in the middle of a fight, "The moment you look away, you forget they were ever there".

"Doctor," the Hatter said slightly urgently, holding out her bare arm to show four lines marked on it, her face paling slightly as she reached out to grab his arm, seeing the same four lines marked on him, too.

He swallowed, trying to give her a reassuring smile, "Don't panic," he said quietly, glancing over to Churchill, "In small numbers, they're not too difficult…"

The Hatter gasped loudly, making him spin back to her to see her looking completely horrified as she looked down at both her arms, which were covered in tally marks. She slowly looked back to the Doctor, clearly able to see his own arms covered in marks, too, "Sweetheart, I think we might have a problem," she whispered with a touch of fear in her voice.

Slowly, the three of them looked upwards, hearing a funny hissing noise, only to find that the ceiling above their heads was covered with dozens and dozens of Silence, all hanging above them with faces like melted candles and dressed in black suits, looking down upon them. They barely had a chance to even comprehend what they were seeing, when a beeping noise sounded through the room and they quickly looked over in time to see a black cylindrical device with blinking red lights flashing on it rolling across the floor towards them.

"Smoke bomb!" the Hatter cried, recognising it instantly and throwing out her arm to knock Churchill backwards away from the device, while the Doctor, acting on instinct, grabbed her and pushed her onto the floor, covering her with his body, just as there was a loud bang and a flash, just before smoke filled the air.

Armed soldiers suddenly stormed the room, moving swiftly through the smoke, "Go!" one of them was commanding the others, "Go! Go!" they all pointed their guns up towards the Silence gathered together on the ceiling, "Keep the Silence in sight at all times, keep your eye drives active!"

The Doctor and the Hatter stared through the smoke as they laid on the floor, the Doctor still trying to partly shield the Time Lady as they tried to get a good look at the soldiers as they all trained their guns on the Silence, all wearing eye patches. A figure dressed in a black suit and with long, slightly wavy hair appeared in the doorway and calmly walked through the soldiers towards them, holding some sort of gun by her side.

"Who the devil are you?" Churchill demanded, glaring at the soldiers and woman that had intruded upon his home, "Identify yourselves!"

"Pond," the woman replied, walking closer to them, her red hair catching in the dim light, "Amelia Pond".

The Doctor and the Hatter laughed in delight to see Amy, when Churchill grabbed for his gun and started to try and aim it at Amy, "No!" the Doctor shouted, quickly pushing the weapon down, his eyes widening as he realised he was about to shoot Amy.

"She's our friend!" the Hatter told him quickly, looking quite alarmed, "You can trust her, Winston, she's…" but she trailed off as she looked back over to Amy, who had just stepped into a patch of light before them to reveal that she was wearing an eye patch, and she felt her hearts sinking, "Oh, no…" she breathed, shocked.

"No!" the Doctor murmured, staring up at Amy, horrified, "No, Amy…" he shook his head, unable to tear his eyes off Amy, "Amy, why are you wearing that?"

Amy didn't say a word as she lifted the gun-like device by her side up, aiming it directly at the Doctor and fired a jet of bright light at him. He jerked slightly before collapsing backwards onto the floor, before she turned the device onto the Hatter, who barely had a chance to even make a sound or try to reach for the Doctor, before a blinding flash of light hit her and everything turned black.

 _ **The Doctor and Hatter series turns five years old today! I still can't believe this series is still going after all these years, nor that I've had so much wonderful feedback and support from all of you. Thank you so much, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you! :)**_

 _ **Oh, and you might have noticed that the full title for this chapter hasn't been shown, you'll just have to wait and see in the next chapter because otherwise it would give the game away. So, here's something to think about. If the Doctor used the Teslecta to fake his death and there's only one robot, then how is the Hatter going to survive? There's something to think about and I will say that I've had this whole thing planned out since I decided that the Hatter was going to have a child, since I wasn't sure if she would give birth at the end of this story or somewhere in the middle, so I had to come up with a way to make it all work, regardless of when I decided she would have Astra.**_

 _ **Next chapter: we finally learn just who River Song is to our Time Lords, the Doctor's really, really bad at matchmaking, and the Hatter ends up giving just a little bit too much away. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Thank you so much for your suggestion for the next story title, I really like it and I'll really have to consider using it. I did think of one the other day when I was randomly looking for food in the kitchen cupboard and now I can't even remember it, which sucks because I felt like it fitted really well. It's so annoying when that happens and this is the reason why I need to start writing things down. But I really love the fact that your suggested title was a reference to something Jack said, I used a quote for a story title before and I love the idea of maybe trying to make a future theme of doing that, if at all possible, so a big thank you to you for your helpful suggestion. I really do like it a lot :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I think that if the Hatter hadn't escaped Gallifrey at the end of the Time War, that she likely would have probably have ended up being placed in prison, secretly, of course, out of Rassilon's fears that she might turn the rest of Gallifrey against him and try to perhaps take his control of Gallifrey away from him for herself, which is absurd to think of, but I can see him thinking that way.**_

 _ **I think that once the Doctor returned to Gallifrey, one of his first things that he would do after taking control would be to try and find out what happened to her, after all, even though the centuries might have passed and he might have come to grips with her death, I think he still would have wanted to find out exactly what happened to her, if possible, and discovering that she was being kept in a prison for all those centuries would have horrified him. I think it's hard to imagine how they might interact with one another if that happened, I think the Hatter would be quite scarred by the experience and I think he would see himself in her, in a way, and try to do whatever he could to try and help her. I think she would eventually heal and probably develop an even greater sense of adventure and need for freedom, but I think the Doctor would feel a sense of obligation to watch over her, something that would cause conflict between them as I imagine that the Hatter would feel like he was trying to trap her and find it suffocating, even if it came from a place of caring on the Doctor's part.**_

 _ **Thanks for the review and I hope I answered your questions :)**_


	30. Chapter 30 Christening of River Song, P2

_**Christening of River Song, Part 2**_

The Hatter could slowly feel herself starting to wake, feeling the strangest sensation of a gentle swaying motion that wasn't completely unpleasant. She slowly began to also realise that she was lying on something very soft with something warm pressed against her left side. She didn't think she was on a boat, the movement felt to rhythmic for it to be that and she could hear the faint sound of metal grinding against metal in the distance, so that also ruled out a car or bus. A train, perhaps? That seemed more logical, she couldn't feel any difference in the air pressure, which meant that she was still on Earth and not in a spaceship.

And then it came back to her. Amy Pond, the girl she had known since she was seven years old, the girl she had celebrated with during her wedding to Rory, the girl who had even named her daughter partly after the Hatter, had stood there and shot both her and the Doctor, while wearing an eye patch only ever seen worn by Kovarian, which was shocking enough to think about. Obviously, it had only been a stun gun, otherwise the Hatter would be quite dead right now, but it was still quite alarming to her. She needed answers, she needed to understand what had happened and she very much needed to know just what side Amy was on.

Something shifted beside her and she realised that for past several minutes she had been completely still, pretending to still be sleeping. She thought it was perhaps best to try and see exactly where she was right now, and so she slowly opened her eyes and grimaced slightly against the light, finding herself staring up at the spinning ceiling fan above her head, her eyesight slightly blurry but growing more and more focused. She blinked and turned her head slightly to see the Doctor was lying pressed against her side on a cot that had been set up and she realised that she was lying on her own cot, right next to his. As she watched him, she could see that he was starting to stir before he opened his eyes and squinted up at the ceiling fan for a moment.

"…The government has again apologised for extensive radio interference caused by solar flare and sun spot activity," a male reporter was saying over a radio in the background.

"Hatter?" the Doctor said weakly, turning his head towards her, relief crossing his face at the sight of her there beside him, unharmed.

"Hello, sleepyhead," she smiled at him, reaching out to lightly brush his fringe off his forehead, "How's the head?"

He winced slightly, "Bit sore".

"Yes, I know the feeling," she sighed, and slowly began to sit herself up as the Doctor did the same, just as a two train whistles sounded outside. Ah, so she had been right, they were on a train and in what seemed to be one of the carriages, but she didn't have a chance to look very well before her eyes fell on where Amy was standing, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed across her chest as she seemed to be observing them with one eye. She eyed her carefully, feeling the Doctor place a hand on her lower back, looking cautiously at Amy, too, "Hello, Amelia".

"Those stun guns aren't fun," Amy remarked as she continued to watch them, seeming to be sincere, "I'm sorry. I wanted to avoid a long conversation. You two need to get up, though," her tone grew slightly authoritative, "We'll be in Cairo shortly".

"Amy Pond," the Doctor frowned at her, "Amelia Pond from Leadworth, please, listen to me," he half-pleaded as he struggled to push himself towards the end of his cot, his arms still covered in tally marks, "I know it seems impossible, but you _know_ us. In another version of reality you and me and the Hatter were best friends. We…we…" he paused briefly, searching for the right way to try and explain it to her, while the Hatter frowned slightly as she watched Amy's face. She didn't seem to be confused, and why would she be so sorry about stunning them? It was almost as if she remembered them as friends…, "Travelled together," he continued, apparently not noticing anything, "We had adventures," he struggled to climb onto his feet and almost stubbled sideways into a wall, before the Hatter managed to stand and grab his arm, though she did have to reach out and grab the wall to keep herself upright. The Doctor looked quickly back across to Amy, "Amelia Pond, you grew up with a time rift in the wall of your bedroom," he let go of the Hatter and stumbled forward, grabbing the armrest of a sofa to steady himself, "You can _see_ what others can't! You can remember things that never happened…"

The Hatter watched Amy's expression as it didn't change in the slightest bit, but her eyes…was that amusement she could see flickering there? She was positive of it, but why would she be amused…oh! She could have slapped herself for not having noticed the second she had woken up that the walls were covered in hand drawn pictures, pictures from their adventures together, of different aliens they had encountered, like the Daleks, Cybermen, there was even a little model of the TARDIS sitting on a table right beside the sofa, the Doctor only needed to look down to see it there, right under his nose. Amy hadn't forgotten them, she felt so stupid for even thinking that she had.

"And if you try…" the Doctor went on, getting more and more frantic as he unknowingly picked up the model TARDIS and began waving it around at Amy's face, "If you really, really _try_ , you'll be able to…" Amy looked pointedly to the small blue box in his hand as the Hatter cleared her throat, moving to his side, watching as his eyes finally landed on the model and he stared at it for a moment, realisation hitting him, "Oh…" he breathed, looking back to Amy, who was nodding with a small smile.

"You also might want to check out the artwork," the Hatter added as she took his hand and turned him around slightly, finding the whole thing quite embarrassing and highly amusing.

He blinked and looked around at all the pictures, his eyes widening slightly as he took them in, "Oh!" he looked back to the Hatter, pointing at her and throwing a glance back to Amy, "Oh!"

"Yeah," the Hatter smiled at him, nodding as she looked back over to Amy, "Apparently, Amy _hasn't_ turned to the dark side after all. Blimey, that was scary for a moment there…" she shook her head and gave a dramatic shiver, winking at Amy.

Amy laughed at her, grinning broadly at them, "You two look rubbish," she said with a hint of fondness, running her eyes over their messy, unkempt hair and slightly mused Roman style clothing.

The Doctor smiled and looked back to her, "You look wonderful," he said brightly, tossing the model TARDIS across to her.

She easily caught it, "So do you two," she sat the model down on a nearby table and stepped further into the carriage, moving across to where there was a small cupboard beside the couch. She pulled the door open and started rummaging around inside it, "But don't worry…." she spun back around, holding the Doctor's old clothing, including his tweed blazer and bowtie, while in her other arm she carried the Hatter's skirt and leather jacket, complete with star broach and navy blue tights. She looked back to them, smirking, "We'll soon fix that".

"Oh!" the Doctor breathed in delight, catching sight of his old clothing.

"Amy, thank you," the Hatter said happily, moving to take her clothing, completely thrilled by the prospect of getting out of these horrible, slightly itchy robes and into something with her usual flair, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this, Roman Soothersayer chic really isn't our style," she shook her head.

The Doctor reached out to take his own clothing, glancing at the Hatter with a wide smile as Amy laughed, "Geronimo!"

…

The Hatter was truly starting to feel more like her old self again as she finished pulling on her leather jacket and checked to make sure that her bright yellow belt was on straight, though she did wish she could do something about her long hair. At least she'd been able to borrow a hairbrush from Amy and it was now untangled, but she had decided to plait it again, just to keep it from annoying her. She glanced at the Doctor and smiled, pleased to see him back in his own clothing again, though he still needed a hair cut just as badly as she did but at least he'd had the chance to shave off his terrible beard. She really, really did hate beards; they brought back to many memories of the Master of the old days.

"Alright, Amy," she called, turning to look over to where Amy was sitting behind a large desk at the opposite end of the carriage, her chair turned away from them while they had dressed, "We're ready".

"How do we look?" the Doctor asked eagerly, spinning around on the spot with his arms held out on either side of him as Amy spun her chair around.

Amy eyed them both for a moment, "Cool," she nodded.

"Really?" he asked quickly, his face lighting up.

"No," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Cheeky," the Hatter commented fondly, moving to perch herself on the edge of Amy's desk, lightly swinging her legs backwards and forwards. She flashed her a quick smile over her shoulder, winking, "Don't ever change".

The Doctor didn't seem to be put-off by Amy's lack of approval, either, "Cool office, though!" he remarked, looking around the carriage as he moved towards the desk, "Why do you _have_ an office?" he looked back up to Amy, pointing at her, "Are you a special agent boss lady or something?" he frowned slightly, lowering his arm as he eyed her, "Not sure about the eye patch, though".

"Yes, nor am I," the Time Lady agreed, casting Amy a quick, thoughtful look, "But I'm assuming that it's not just an ordinary eye patch, it must have some sort of purpose, otherwise why would anyone _want_ to wear the thing?"

"So says the women in the bright yellow shoes," Amy smiled, giving her a pointed look.

She sat up straighter, lifting her chin with as much dignity as she possibly could, "Don't diss the shoes, Pond," she gave her a warning look, "Yellow's great, yellow _is_ happy".

She laughed, shaking her head fondly at her, "Time's gone wrong," she told them, growing serious, "Some of us noticed. There's a whole team of us working on it, you'll see".

"And you've got an office on a _train_ ," the Doctor grinned, practically skipping with excitement as he looked around the rest of the room, while the Hatter simply smiled softly and shook her head, watching his antics, "That is so cool! Can I have an office?" he looked quickly back to Amy, almost reminding both women of an eager six year old wanting sweets, "Never had an office before. Or a train! Or a train slash office".

"You did have a shed on Gallifrey," the Hatter reminded him, smiling. She had her own office back on Gallifrey and couldn't say she had overly enjoyed the experience nearly as much, but watching the Doctor getting so excited about the idea was very amusing and sweet to see, "That was kind of like an office, sweetheart".

"Yeah, but it wasn't on a train, dear! Imagine it!" he practically danced back over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist as she continued to sit on the desk, "You and me with an _office_ on a _train_ , how cool would that be?"

Amy laughed and rose from her chair, moving to throw her arms around both Time Lords at the same time, which very nearly sent the Time Lady to the floor from the impact, "God, I've missed you two!" she exclaimed, hugging them both tightly.

"We missed you too, Amy," the Hatter said softly, hugging her back just as tightly, even if it was a little awkward when she had one arm pressed against her side by the Doctor's body and she felt like she was only just managing to stay sitting on the desk due to the Doctor's arm still around her waist, keeping her just on the edge of the desk.

"Okay, hugging _and_ missing now," the Doctor grinned, when his eyes widened and he pulled back from her, remembering something, "Where's the Roman?" he asked quickly.

Amy looked between them, "You mean Rory".

"That would be him, yeah," the Time Lady nodded, quite eager to see Rory, wanting to make sure that he was okay.

"My husband Rory, yeah?" she turned around and hurried back around her desk, seeming to be searching for something for a moment, before she grabbed a piece of paper and turned back to them, holding it up for them to see, "That's him, isn't it?" she said eagerly as the Doctor and the Hatter blinked, staring at the very masculine looking drawing of a man with a square jaw, the only real resemblance between the picture and Rory being the hairstyle, "I've no idea. I can't find him, but I love him very much, don't I?"

"Apparently," the Doctor eyed the sketch, trying hard not to burst out laughing.

The Hatter cleared her throat, unable to take her eyes off the sketch, "It's….um, very lifelike," she settled on saying politely, not quite knowing how to try and break the news to Amy that Rory looked _nothing_ like the man she was picturing. No wonder she was having to so much trouble trying to find him, still, she thought it was rather sweet to get a peek into Amy's mind and how she saw Rory, "I didn't know you were so talented at art, Amy," she waved a hand around at all the pictures on the walls and desk, even spotting one of her past regeneration hidden amongst them, "I'm quite envious".

"I have to keep doing this," Amy explained, sighing as she sat the picture of Rory back down on her desk, "Writing and drawing things," she leant back against her desk, "It's just…it's so hard to keep remembering".

"But you keep trying, and that's the main thing," the Hatter said reassuringly, lightly nudging her arm with a gentle smile, "It's not your fault, any of this, time's gone wrong for reasons outside of your control".

"Do you remember why?" the Doctor asked her, eyeing her curiously, wondering just how much she actually did remember.

"The lakeside," Amy replied.

"Lake Silencio, Utah," he nodded, glancing at the Hatter, "We died".

"But then you didn't. See, I remember it twice, different ways".

"Yes," the Hatter agreed, looking grim, "Two different versions of the same event, events that are both happening at the same time. That's a very, very bad thing, so bad that it actually split time wide open, allowing every event and time period to converge".

"All of history happening at once," the Doctor sighed, casting the window along the carriage walls a quick look.

"But does it matter?" Amy questioned, frowning slightly at them, "I mean, can't we just stay like this?"

"Time isn't just frozen," he shook his head, "It's _disintegrating_. It will spread and spread and all of reality will simply fall apart".

Amy slowly nodded, seeming to be finally understand just how bad the situation truly was, when there was a knock on the door and they all looked up as it swung open, finding Rory standing in the doorway in some sort of army uniform, complete with black beret and an eye patch.

"Ma'am?" he said to Amy, while the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a quick grin, "We're about to arrive. Eye drives need to be activated as soon as we disembark".

"Good point," Amy nodded to him, "Thank you, Captain Williams".

"Hello," the Doctor grinned at Rory, delighted to see him.

"Hi!" the Hatter flashed him a wide smile and wiggled her fingers at Rory in a little wave, finding it very odd to have Rory there, looking at them like strangers.

"Hello, sir, ma'am," Rory greeted them, straightening himself slightly, "Please to meet you both".

Amy eyed the Time Lords, "Captain Williams, best of the best," she informed them, glancing back over to Rory, "Couldn't live without him".

The Hatter smirked slightly at that, trying very hard not to make a little comment as she watched Rory start to walk back down the hallway, leaving the door open behind him. The Doctor grabbed the picture Amy had drawn of him off the desk and held it up, comparing it against Rory before laughing.

"No," he shook his head, pulling a slight face.

"What is wrong?" Amy frowned, snatching the sketch out of his hands.

The Hatter placed a hand on her arm, her expression softening, "Amy, I believe that you'll find Rory, but you just have to open your eyes and _look_ first," she told her.

"I _am_ looking".

"I know, but more often than not what we're trying to find it already right in front of us," she smiled, her eyes flickering back to the Doctor, who was giving her a small, knowing look. She shook her head and turned back to Amy, "Don't just open your heart to love, open your eyes and mind to it, otherwise you'll never find what you're looking for. Trust me".

"Why are you older?" she looked between them, eyeing their longer hair and faces, noticing the very fine lines around their eyes and mouths that hadn't been there before, "If time isn't really passing, then how can you two be aging?"

"Time is still passing for _us_ ," the Doctor explained, reaching out to take the Hatter's hand, "Every explosion has an epicentre. We're it. We're what's wrong".

"What's wrong with you?"

The Hatter sighed heavily and looked down at her shoes, closing her eyes briefly, "We're still alive, Amy," she said quietly, "That's what's wrong".

…

The train came to a stop in the middle the Great Pyramid of Egypt, which had apparently since been declared as America's Area Fifty Two, they had even gone and painted a massive American flag to one of the sides of the pyramid and built a large train track that went straight into the heart of the ancient building with a large spire right at the very top of the pyramid, though the Doctor and the Hatter hadn't gotten a very good look at it from the train's window as they speed through the tunnel into the pyramid.

Rory led them from off the train and down a narrow set of stairs, Amy following behind the Time Lords. He handed the Doctor and the Hatter an eye patch each as they set off down the stairs, though neither Time Lord made a move to put the eye patches on, eyeing the devices with matching expressions of distrust and distaste.

"You have to put it on, sir, ma'am," he told the Doctor and the Hatter, glancing back over his shoulder to see them eyeing the eye patches.

"An eye patch," the Doctor muttered, looking back to him, "What for?"

"It's not an eye patch," Amy sighed from behind them.

"It's an eye drive, sir," Rory informed him as they reached the bottom of the stairs where two more soldiers in the same uniforms as his was standing guard, but he didn't stop to speak to them, he continued leading them down a long hallway that seemed to have a funny blue light running along it, "It communicates directly with the memory centres of the brain," he went on, "Acts as external storage".

"Clever," the Hatter commented; though she was still very hesitate to put one of the eye patches on. She didn't like the idea of using the same technology as the people who had cost her the chance to raise her own daughter and very nearly killed both her and the Doctor.

Amy nodded along with the Hatter and Rory, "Only thing that works on them," she added as the two soldiers they had just passed began trailing along behind her, heavily armed, "Because no living mind can remember these things".

The Hatter blinked slightly in mild surprise as they made their way further down the corridor, only to find that the walls were lined with containment cells, each one containing one very tall creature with long fingers and heads that reminded her of melted candles, seeming to be suspended in some sort of fluid with a blue light coming from each containment cell. She and the Doctor looked at each other and she reached out to take his hand, turning her eyes back onto the cells.

"The Silence," Rory remarked, "We've captured over a hundred of them now, all held in this pyramid".

The Time Lords walked closer to one of the cells, looking up at the creature held within the liquid, which seemed to be examining them just as closely as they were looking at it, though the Hatter was rather curious about just what the liquid was.

"Yeah," the Doctor said as he leaned closer to the glass, "We've encountered them before. Always wondered what they look like".

"Well, put your eye drives on and you'll retain the information," Amy told them, watching them eye the Silence, "But only for as long as you're wearing it".

He glanced back to Amy, holding up his eye drive, "The Silence have human servants," he said to them, "They all wear these".

"Well, they would have to, wouldn't they?" the Hatter looked at him, dragging her eyes off the liquid within the cells of the Silence, "Otherwise they wouldn't know what they were supposed to be doing, and I do believe we've seen what happens if you have your memory altered to many times," she winced slightly at the memory of the man at the orphanage in America.

"This way," Rory turned and began leading them further down the hallway, Amy following behind him as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a brief look before they both reluctantly conceded defeat, putting the eye drive's on over their right eyes, before following after the others, moving slightly ahead of them as they looked from cell to cell, each Silence turning to watch them as they passed. Rory frowned slightly, casting a look around at the cells, "They seem to be noticing you," he commented, looking back to the Time Lords.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, grimacing slightly as he squeezed the Hatter's hand tighter, "They would".

"Oh, to be famous…" the Hatter sighed, throwing the nearest containment cell a quick look, feeling quite uncomfortable by all the attention the Silence seemed to be giving them, "This is why we try to avoid drawing attention to ourselves," she paused, smiling faintly at the Doctor, trying to add a bit of humour to the situation to ease her and the Doctor's tension, "Well, _try_ being the key word".

"Doesn't always turn out so well," he shot her a quick smile, knowing what she was trying to do.

"So why aren't the human race killing the Silence on sight anymore?" Amy asked as they continued down the hallway.

"You're forgetting the fact that that was in a different reality," the Time Lady reminded her, pausing in the middle of the hallway to spin back around to face them, making the Doctor stop too, "Now, tell me about these cells," she gestured around at the containment cells, eyeing the nearest one curiously, "I'm assuming that the fluid acts as an insulation against their powers, otherwise why else have them in the liquid in the first place?"

"Yes," Rory nodded to her, looking slightly surprised as he glanced at the cell, too, "They can draw electricity from anything. It's how they attack…" he frowned slightly, looking a little worried as he eyed the Silence, who was staring directly at the Doctor and the Hatter, "And I really don't like the way they're looking at you two".

"Me neither," the Doctor agreed quietly, edging closer to the Hatter, who was trying hard to avoid looking at the Silence.

"Ma'am," Rory turned to Amy, glancing back to the Time Lords, "I'm sure it's nothing, but I should check this out," he looked back over to one of the containment cells, "They haven't been this active in a while," Amy nodded to him and he looked back over to the two soldiers standing just behind their small group, "You two, upstairs," he ordered them, "Check all the tank seals. Then the floors above. Get everyone checking".

"Sir," the soldiers nodded respectfully to him, before turning and heading off down the hallway they had just walked down to conduct their tasks.

He turned back to Amy, "You go ahead, ma'am".

"Thank you, Captain Williams," Amy said to him, looking across to the Time Lords, who were watching the whole scene play out quite curiously, finding it amusing to watch Rory and Amy interacting with each other like this, so distant and professional, "This way, you two," she turned and began leading the Time Lords off down the rest of the hallway.

"Captain Williams, nice fellow," the Doctor commented as he glanced sideways at Amy, "What's his first name?"

"Captain," she replied absently, "Just through here…"

"Just…er, give me a moment," he stopped suddenly and held up a finger, letting go of the Hatter's hand as she raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what he was up to now, "Just need to check…something," he gave both woman a little smirk and mockingly saluted them, "Ma'am, my lady".

The Hatter narrowed her eyes at him, but he simply blew her a kiss before turning and heading back down the hallway, towards where Rory was busy checking one of the containment cells. Amy shook her head and glanced at the Time Lady beside her, before lifting the edge of her lapel up towards her mouth, speaking into a small comm., "We're in," she said over the hidden device, making the Hatter cast her a quick look before looking back over to the Doctor, trying hard to listen in, "They're on their way".

The Doctor neared Rory as he carefully checked the seals running along one of the containment cells, running his fingers along the edge to check for any leaks, "The loyal solider, waiting to be noticed," he said as he came to a stop beside him, "Always the pattern. Why is that?" he frowned slightly, glancing back to Rory.

Rory blinked slightly at him, "Sorry, sir?"

"Your boss," he began, watching him closely, "You should just ask her out. She likes you…" the Hatter, listening to every word, struggled to hold back a smile. It really was quite sweet of the Doctor to try and help get Amy and Rory back together, he truly was an old romantic, "She said so".

"Really, sir?" he moved on to the next cell down, running his fingers along the edge of the glass and the wall, "What did she say?"

Ooh, this could either go very well or very badly for the Doctor, the Hatter realised, biting her lip warily as she pretended to be admiring a section of hieroglyphics on the wall before her, still just as brightly coloured in lots of greens and blues as the day they had been originally painted. She didn't really wish for Amy to realise that she was listening in on the Doctor and Rory, knowing that she would likely ask a number of questions about just what the Doctor was up to now. If only Amy knew…

"Oh…" the Doctor shrugged, trying to seem casual as he stepped up beside Rory again, "She just sort of…generally indicated".

"What exactly did she say?" Rory asked quickly, snapping his head around to look at him, expressionless.

The Hatter couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him, he was so clearly afraid of making a fool of himself. She was quite certain the Doctor could probably see that, too, and was trying hard to help, understanding better than anyone else what it was like to put off telling someone your true feelings for fear of being humiliated.

"She said…that you were a Mister-Hottie…ness," the Doctor lied, and rather horribly as he didn't seem to quite know what to do with his hands, waving them around in front of him as he spoke. The Hatter closed her eyes and bit her tongue, trying hard not to burst out laughing or want to smack her own forehead for being married to such an adorable idiot. Rory nodded along with what the Doctor was trying to say, while he continued, "And that she would like to go out with you for…texting and scones," he finished with a bright smile.

"I'm _so_ married to an idiot," the Time Lady said under her breath, rolling her eyes. She quickly fixed a smile onto her face and whistled innocently as Amy shot her a quick look, pretending to be still admiring the wall art.

Rory stared at the Doctor for a long moment, "You really haven't done this before, have you?"

"No, I haven't," the Doctor admitted, smiling faintly, "Kind of explains why it took me almost nine hundred years for me and the Hatter to get together, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" he nodded slowly, before he cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders, seeming to have almost forgotten himself for a moment, "See you in a moment, sir," he said respectfully, turning to continue examining the containment cell.

"Yes," the Doctor reached out and pattered Rory's shoulder, turning away from him, "Yes…" he began walking back over to where Amy and the Hatter were waiting for him.

"Mister-Hottie-ness?" the Hatter mouthed to him as he approached, cupping a hand around the side of her mouth to keep Amy from seeing, rolling her eyes. He gave her a quick little smile, blushing slightly.

"Come on, Doctor," Amy called to him, her arms crossed across her chest, missing what the Hatter had done. She flashed them a knowing smile, looking between them as the Doctor reached them, "Time for you two to meet some old friends".

"Attention, all personnel," Rory's voice sounded over the loud speaker, while Amy led the Doctor and the Hatter through a set of double doors at the end of the hallway, that was swung open by two armed soldiers on the other side of the doors to reveal the King's Chamber of the pyramid, "Attention, all personnel. Please check all assigned containment units".

The room was a hive of activity with people wearing white lab coats moving around the room, fiddling with equipment and machinery that had been set up around the room, while a number of soldiers stood guard around the large space. The entire room seemed to have been set up as the main base of operation, hardly looking anything like the ancient pyramid that it truly was, save for the few statues that remained throughout the space. The Doctor and the Hatter followed Amy down a set of stairs and down into the main chamber, looking around curiously at everything going on around them. A young female scientist with brown hair tied back in a bun approached a women in a black skirt and blazer who was standing in the middle of the room, her back to the Doctor and the Hatter, but they could easily tell from her very curly blonde hair just who it was.

"You were right," the scientist said to the curly haired woman, "Just their presence in the building caused the loop to extend by nearly four chronons," she threw the Time Lords a quick look, before looking up to where a large digital clock was being displayed on a screen, reading 5:02:57, with the seconds oscillating between seven and eight.

The Hatter broke into a grin, looking at the curly haired woman, "Hi, kiddo, we're back!" she raised her eyebrows, "Did you miss us?"

The curly haired woman turned around, revealing River Song wearing an eye patch and holding a piece of paper, "Took you long enough," she remarked with a small smirk.

"Oh, well, you know," she shrugged, causally looping her thumbs through the loop of her skirt, "We've been busy not dying, you know? Oh, and time's a bit messed up at the moment. I don't suppose you noticed that by any chance?"

"I might have," she nodded slowly, playing along as she checked her watch, "Even still, what time do you call this?" she tutted, pointing a finger at them.

"The death of time," a rather unpleasantly familiar voice answered, and River stepped aside to reveal Kovarian sitting on a chair, her hands tied behind her back, "The end of time. The end of all. Oh, why couldn't you just die?" she broke off with a disgusted eye roll.

"Did our best," the Doctor said with a brief look at River, "We showed up," he wrapped his arm around the Hatter, not taking his eyes off Kovarian, his expression cold, "You just can't get the psychopaths these days. Love what you've done with the pyramids," he suddenly lighted, waving a hand around the room, looking back over to River, "How did you swing all this?"

"Hallucinogenic lipstick," River told them with a small, carelessly shrug, "Works wonders on President Kennedy…"

"Oh, I bet," the Hatter said with a small smirk.

She returned the smirk, winking, "And Cleopatra was a _real_ pushover".

"I always thought so," the Doctor agreed, and the Hatter nodded along with him.

"She mentioned you two".

"Oh, dear," the Time Lady sighed slightly, "What did she say this time? If she said we got drunk and jumped in the Nile, then she's totally making that story up…we jumped in the Nile _before_ we accidently got drunk," she paused with a small, slightly nervous look, glancing at River, who was grinning widely, "She didn't say anything about that, did she?"

"Not a word, Honeykins," she grinned, laughing slightly.

The Doctor cleared his throat as the Hatter closed her eyes, looking as if she was deeply regretting certain life choices right now, "I thought we agreed no one ever needed to hear that story," he muttered, looking a little embarrassed.

She groaned slightly, giving him an apologetic look, "We have far too many stories we've agreed never to speak of, it's hard to keep track of what's okay and what's off the list".

"Anyway," he shook his head, looking back to River, "What did old Cleo have to say? It's been a while".

River smirked slyly, "Put down that gun".

"Did you?"

"Eventually," she shrugged again, winking.

"Oh, they're _bantering_!" Kovarian moaned in disgust, shaking her head in despair, "Do I have to watch this?"

"It was such a basic mistake, wasn't it, Madame Kovarian?" River barely even glanced at her, her eyes still resting on the Doctor and the Hatter, "Take a child, raise her into a perfect psychopath, introduce her to the Doctor and the Hatter," she took a breath, smiling at them, "How could I not grow to love them?"

The Doctor frowned at her, "It's not funny, River," he said sternly as the Hatter's expression grew grave, though she couldn't deny feeling slightly touched, "Reality is fatally compromised," he gave her a very serious look, "Tell me you understand that".

"Dinner?"

"River, please," the Hatter sighed, looking exasperated as all the lightness and humour of before seemed to have completely faded, "Can you be serious for a moment? And believe me, when _I'm_ saying that you know it's bad," she meet her eyes, taking a deep breath, "Time is _dying_ , River, time is literally dying because the Doctor and I are still alive. The time for joking and laughter is over, it's time to be serious because this all down to _you_ ".

"Because I refused to kill the people I love," River nodded, her expression not changing in the slightest, "Because I refused to play another role in destroying any chance you may have of being with your daughter again".

"Oh, you love us, do you?" the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows, ignoring the remark about Astra because if he allowed himself to dwell on it right now, he wouldn't be able to do what was needed to be done, "Oh, that's sweet, isn't that sweet, dear?" he glanced at the Hatter as they began to move towards River.

"Very touching, indeed," the Hatter said absently, still moving towards River, her expression hard.

"Get them!" Amy ordered the soldiers.

"Come here, you!" the Doctor reached out to try and grab River's arm as she simply stood there, watching them calmly, while the Hatter tried to lung forward, when they were both grabbed by the soldiers, who pulled them away from River as they struggled and tried to twist themselves free.

"I'm not a fool," River said to them, looking at them still with the same calm expression on her face, "I know what happens when we touch".

The Hatter stopped fighting and almost instantly felt the soldier's holding her loosen their grip on her, very foolishly on their part, since they had apparently considered her to be far less of a threat. She simply broke into a wide smile and glanced at the Doctor to see him slowly smiling too, before they both reacted before any one even knew what they were doing, throwing off the soldiers and lunging towards River, both latching onto her arm before she could even realise what had happened.

"Get off me!" she shouted, trying to shake them off her, but they kept their grip firm and dug their heels in as the soldiers dashed forward, trying to pull them off her, "Get them off me!"

"Doctor, no, let go!" Amy tried urgently, her eyes widening in horror, "Please, Hatter, let go!"

"It's moving," the brunet scientist gasped, looking at the clock, which was now reading 5:03, "Time's moving!"

"Get them off me!" River cried, still desperately trying to throw them off, but their grip was like iron.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, trying to pull them off along with the soldiers, "Hatter!"

"I'm sorry, River!" the Doctor told her quickly as the Hatter gritted her teeth, refusing to let go, "It's the only way…!"

…

Everything turned white again before the Doctor and the Hatter found themselves standing beside the lake again, holding hands with their heads bowed before River in the astronaut suit, waiting for death as River slowly raised her arm towards them…

….

There was another flash and the Doctor and the Hatter found themselves being roughly pulled away from River by the soldiers, firmly held in place this time, not seeming to be taking any chances with allowing them a chance to escape as River stared down at her arm in shock before she looked back over to the Time Lords, rubbing her arm shakily. She didn't seem to have expected them to have come so close to resolving all of this.

"Cuff them," she commanded the soldiers with a dark look at the Time Lords, moving to stand on the other side of the room from them, just to be safe.

The Doctor sighed heavily as the soldiers handcuffed his wrist, another two soldiers doing the same thing to the Hatter beside him, "Oh, why do you always have handcuffs?" he complained, still being firmly held in place.

"Probably best not to ask, sweetheart," the Hatter shook her head, throwing the soldiers a quick frown over her shoulder as the cool metal encircled her wrist, "River, _please_ …" she looked back across the room to her, pleading with her eyes, "You know this is the only way and I'm sorry, I truly am that we're placing you in this awful position, but it _must_ happen!"

"We're the opposite poles of the disruption," the Doctor explained to her, speaking very fast, needing to get through to her, "If the three of us _touch_ at the same time, we short out the differential. Time can begin again".

"And I'll be by a lakeside, killing you both," River breathed as she stared back at them, still rubbing her wrist.

" _Yes_ ," the Time Lady said softly, nodding to her, "We die so that time can repair itself, so that the clocks can keep on ticking by and reality will move along with it, just as it's supposed to be, River," she gave her another pleading look, leaning forward against the soldiers firm grip on her arms, "There _isn't_ another way".

"I didn't say there was, honeykins," she shook her head, giving them a sad look as the Time Lords exchanged a quick look, slightly surprised that she was even willing to admit that . River wasn't in denial over any of this, she was well aware of exactly what she was doing and what was going on, but she just didn't seem to care and that, to them, was even more worrisome then if she had been in denial, "There are so many theories about the three of us, you know," she remarked, taking a step closer to them.

"Idle gossip," the Doctor said at once, frowning at her.

She smiled very slightly, "Archaeology".

"Same thing".

She continued moving closer to them, still with the same little smile on her lips, "Some have even speculated about whether or not I become something of a daughter to you both," she commented lightly, her eyes flickering between, "Or that I'm the woman who murders you".

"We already have a daughter," the Doctor replied with a hint of warning in his voice, unable to ever quite forget just how close he had come to losing both Astra and the Hatter, all because of River's actions. He wasn't sure if he would ever truly forgive River for that, but he had come to accept what had happened and was able to admit that River wasn't entirely to blame. She had just been doing what she had been brainwashed into believing was the right thing to do since she was a baby; he could hardly blame her for that.

"Doctor…" the Hatter gave him a quick look, knowing what he was thinking. She couldn't blame River for what had happened that day, though she knew he still did, even just a little bit.

River's footsteps faltered slightly and a fleeting look of guilt mixed with pain crossed her face, before she raised her chin and her expressed grew carefully blank of any emotion, looking directly at both Time Lord, "I don't want to murder either of you," she told them firmly.

Amy frowned slightly and lifted her hand up to touch the top of her head, glancing up towards the ceiling with a slightly puzzled look.

"Well, this is certainly a right old mess, isn't it?" the Hatter sighed, shaking her head.

"It is, isn't it?" River agreed quietly.

"Doctor, Hatter…" Amy cut in, frowning up at the ceiling, "What's that?"

They all paused and looked up, frowning slightly as they noticed that there was water dripping down through the ceiling all around them, and in some places it was even more then drips, more like a stream of water, seeping in through the gaps between the massive stones above them.

"The pyramid above us…" the Doctor began slowly, looking quite concerned, "How many Silence do you have trapped inside it?"

"None," Kovarian said calmly, smirking back at them as they all turned towards her, "They're not trapped. They never have been. They've been _waiting_ for this, Doctor and Hatter," her expression grew positively wicked, "For you".

The door behind them burst open and they jumped, whirling around to see Rory come rushing through the door.

"They're out!" he called to them, the sound of fighting sounding on the other side of the door, "All of them!" he slammed the door behind them, just as the sound of rapid gun fire started up. The soldiers that had been stationed around the room all hurried forward, a couple of them moving to grab a very large and thick piece of wood to place across the doors, barricading them shut, before Rory turned to hurry down the stairs towards the others, "No one gets in here!" he turned to face the door at the bottom of the stairs, joining a line-up of two other soldiers as they readied themselves for a fight, "Ma'am," he glanced briefly back to Amy, pointing his pistol at the doors, "My men out there should be able to lock this down. We have them outnumbered".

"And you're wearing eye drives based on mine, I think," Kovarian remarked with a smirk, making them look back to her, "Oops!"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards her, "What do you mean?" he asked through gritted teeth, having a very bad feeling about all of this.

The Hatter frowned at her, too, when something clicked into her head and she gasped, "No!" her eyes widened, horrified, "Eye drives off, right now! Get them off, they're lethal!" she frantically tried rubbing her face against her shoulder, trying to dislodge her own eye drive, but it was proving to be useless.

Suddenly, a terrible scream rang out and they all turned to see the brunet scientist screaming in agony as she grabbed at her eye drive, which was crackling with blue electricity, when she suddenly dropped onto the floor, withering in pain, unable to get the eye drive off herself.

"Help her!" the Doctor shouted to the room, unable to go to the woman's aid himself with his hands cuffed, "Help her!"

Amy dashed forward and fell onto her knees beside the woman, trying to help her as the Doctor and the Hatter looked over to Rory to see him trying to help a female soldier who was crying out in pain, grabbing at her own eye drive. Amy's head snapped back up to them, her face pale, "She's dead," she told them, slowly climbing onto her own feet, shocked.

The Doctor suddenly cried out and stumbled, closing his eye as energy began zapping through his own eye drive.

"Doctor!" the Hatter moved to his side, pulling hard against the metal still binding her wrists behind her back, "Get the eye drives off, right now!" she ordered, when she broke off with a sharp gasp as her own eye drive activated, the pain of the energy shooting through her eye feeling like it was drilling a red hot tunnel directly into her brain as she hissed painfully through her teeth, almost collapsing with the pain.

Amy ran forward to try and help them, the Doctor making slightly clumsy, stiff gesture towards the Hatter as he cringed, groaning in pain, but no matter how much it hurt, he refused to let Amy help him before the Hatter. Amy, taking the hint, moved to help try and peal the eye drive off the Hatter's eye, finding it very difficult to do so as the Hatter was doubled over with the pain, almost screaming in agony, but she finally managed to get her fingernail under the edge of the device and flung it off the Hatter's eye, leaving the brunet panting and feeling quite shaky. Amy quickly moved to help the Doctor, getting his eye drive off him almost instantly, when her own eye drive activated and she screamed, stumbling backwards.

"Amy!" the Time Lady breathed out, feeling a little off balance and dizzy from the intense pain she had just experienced, only for it to end so abruptly. She staggered to Amy's side, wishing she could help get her eye drive off her without her restraints, while the Doctor gasped for breathe, looking across to Kovarian. River moved across to Amy and the Hatter, less concerned about touching the Hatter without the Doctor being close as she carefully tried pulling Amy's eye drive off.

"The Silence would never allow an advantage without taking one themselves," Kovarian said, unfazed by everything going on before her. She was even smiling faintly, "The effects will vary from person to person. Either death or debilitating agony…" she laughed, grinning at the Doctor, "But they will take you all, one by one…" she broke off, frowning slightly in confusion as her own eye drive started buzzing with energy, "What are you doing? No, it's me…" she shook her head, actually looking a little fearful as it continued crackling with more and more energy, "Don't be stupid! You need me. Stop it," she almost pleaded, the current getting stronger, "Stop that!"

The Doctor turned away from her to look at River as the Hatter stepped beside him, both fixing her with a very serious look, ignoring Kovarian's cries behind them, "We could stop this right now, me, the Hatter, and you," he said to River.

"Get it off me!"

"Amy," the Hatter glanced quickly at Amy, "Talk to her, she's your daughter".

"We've been working on something," Amy looked at the Time Lords instead, making them blink slightly, "Just let us show you".

"There's no point," the Doctor shook his head, frowning at her, "There's nothing you can do. Our time is up".

"We're doing this for you two! For Astra!"

"Don't bring Astra into this," the Hatter said sharply, instantly her expression darkening as she fixed Amy with a cold look, "You will not excuse what you are doing in the name of _my_ daughter, don't you _dare_ think you can _ever_ do that".

"People are _dying_ for us," the Doctor said angrily as Amy flinched at the Hatter's tone, "We won't thank you for that, Amelia Pond".

"Get it…" Kovarian managed to get out, still desperately trying to fight against the pain of the eye drive, struggling against her bounds.

"Just let us show you," River tried quickly, looking pleadingly between the Time Lords.

"Please!" Amy added urgently, and the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, their expressions hard as the Doctor shook his head and the Hatter sighed. Amy seemed to take that as a 'yes,' and turned to look back towards Rory, who was still defending the door, "Captain Williams, how long do we have?"

"Er, a couple of minutes," Rory replied, looking back across to the door, just as something rammed into it from the other side of the door. The Hatter shot him a worried look, hearing his voice sound a little…strained, the fact that he was still wearing his eye drive confirmed that to her. She swallowed hard, both admiring him and wishing that he didn't have to be so damn brave, that was how…well, that was how they had lost so many friends.

"That's enough," River said firmly, looking at Amy before focusing back onto the Time Lords, looking very determined, "We're going to the Receptor Room right at the top of the pyramid. I hope you're ready for a climb," she turned and began to lead them across the room, towards where an open doorway was with stone steps winding upwards and disappearing around a corner.

The Doctor frowned deeply and followed behind her, but the Hatter hesitated, throwing Rory a worried look. She knew why he was still wearing the eye drive, even though he had to be in terribly pain right now: he was doing it so he could remember what he was fighting so that he could protect them. She might not have been a soldier, but she knew how soldiers thought and more importantly, she knew how _Rory_ thought.

"Amy," she called to Amy as she paused on the bottom step, looking back to Amy, who had lingered behind slightly. She took a step towards her, her eyes flickering over towards Kovarian, "I want you to remember something," she said softly, meeting her eyes, "There is no limit to what a mother will do for their child, none at all. If someone threatened my child…there is not a force in the universe that would hold me back".

Amy gave her a confused look, not having a clue what the hell the Time Lady was going on about, or why she was bringing it up to her in a moment like this, "Um…Hatter?" she said slowly.

She gave her a small sad smile, "No matter what happens, know that I don't blame you, not in the slightest bit," her eyes drifted back over towards Kovarian, "There are some acts in this Universe that should never go without punishment".

"Okay…you do realise that I have no idea what you're going on about, right?" Amy frowned at her, looking worried, "Are you okay? You don't sound like yourself".

"No, I don't imagine I do sound very like me right now," she agreed with a small sigh, looking down briefly with a frown, "I do so hate these sorts of things and go out of my way to prevent them from happening when I can, but…I think this is something you need to do, as a mother. It won't help, but you deserve the chance to get some justice," she looked back up to her and inclined her head towards her, since she couldn't reach out and pat her shoulder, and turned around to start to heading for the stairs, "Oh, and do be careful!" she called over her shoulder, continuing on her way, leaving Amy even more confused and baffled.

As the Hatter hurried up the stairs, giving up counting each step after the first two hundred steps, she wondered if it had been wise to have basically given Amy her blessing to go and kill Kovarian, since she suspected that no matter what happened, that was an event that was likely to occur, she knew it in her hearts that if she was in Amy's position, she would do it. She hated killing, she found the act of taking another life to be vile, but for this crime…for the crime of snatching away an innocent baby from a mother's arms, training it and brainwashing it, hurting it, she wasn't sure if there was any real justice that could be found for a crime like that. The Doctor, she imagined, would be quite shocked by her behaviour, but as she continued moving up the stairs, she couldn't find herself regretting it. She was a mother, she would do whatever it took to protect her child and if someone hurt her daughter or tried to, she really wasn't sure anyone, even the Doctor, would be able to talk sense to her. Everyone had the capacity of darkness within them, she was most certainly not immune, not when it came to protecting her daughter. She refused to lose another child, ever again.

The Hatter blinked slightly in surprise to find the steps suddenly smoothing out onto a landing, looking around quickly to find that she had managed to climb the entire staircase leading up to the top of the pyramid without even really paying much attention. She was actually quite amazed she hadn't slipped on a stair and wound up seriously hurting herself. She stepped further away from the stairs, feeling the wind lightly ruffling her clothing as she looked around the top of the pyramid where the Doctor and River seemed to have only just arrived, too, both turning towards her, the Doctor breaking into a relieved smile.

"Took you long enough, dear," he said, moving across to her, whishing he could reach out and take her hand.

She gave him a small smile, "Had to have a little chat to Amy first," she said lightly, looking around curiously. There was a large spire that reached up into the sky above their heads with four very large metal beams connecting it to the pyramid, while directly beneath the spire and in the middle of the beams was a device with a rounded top to it, "Ooh, what have we got here?" she stepped closer to the device, eyeing it critically for a second, "Ah, I see, a complex distress beacon that can transmit a single throughout all of space and time, even outside of our own reality".

"Timey-wimey distress beacon sounds better, though," the Doctor remarked, earning a fond smile from her and a small shake of her head. He glanced over to River, raising his eyebrows, "Who built this?"

"I'm the child of the TARDIS," River told them, looking up towards the spire above them, "I understand the physics".

"Yes, but that's all you've got," he frowned at her, "A distress beacon!"

"I've been sending out a message. A distress call. Outside the bubble of time, the Universe is still turning, and I've sent a message everywhere. To the future and the past, the beginning and the end of everything. 'The Doctor and the Hatter are dying. Please, _please_ help'".

"River, what use is _that_ supposed to be?" the Hatter shook her head, closing her eyes briefly in exasperation, "No one is going to care about us dying, hell, they'll probably throw a _party_! They're certainly not going to come and try and help, even if it was possible, which it _isn't_ …"

"It's insane!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking quite cross, "Worse, it's stupid!" he looked back across to River, narrowing his eyes, "You _embarrass_ us".

"We barricaded the door," Amy announced as she and Rory ran up the stairs to join them, holding hands. River swallowed and tore her eyes away from the Time Lords, looking quite pale, "We've got a few minutes," she continued, looking quickly at River, "Just tell them. Just _tell_ them, River".

River hesitated slightly and looked back to the Time Lords, taking a deep breath, seeming to be trying to compose herself after the Doctor and the Hatter's less then pleasant response, "Those reports of the sun spots and the solar flares," she began explaining to them, shifting slightly nervously under their gaze, "They're wrong. There aren't any. It's not the sun, it's you two…" she smiled softly, "The sky is full of a million, _million_ voices saying 'Yes, of course we'll help,'" she looked between them as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, "You've both touched _so_ many lives, saved _so_ many people. Did you think when your time's come; you'd really have to do more than just _ask_? You've decided that the Universe is better off without you two, but the Universe doesn't agree".

The Hatter swallowed, trying hard to keep her voice steady, "There's nothing that can be done, River, you _know_ that," she said quietly, shaking her head sadly, "There's no help out there to fix this, because this…this is a _fixed_ point that has been altered and now time is _literally_ disintegrating".

"I can't let you _die_ ," River breathed, shaking her head forcefully, looking close to tears.

"But we _have_ to die," the Doctor said firmly, practically begging her to just understand, to just let them do this.

"Shut up!" she snapped, her voice shaking with emotion as she shook her head again, "I can't let you die without knowing your are both loved by so many, and so much," she swallowed, blinking back tears as they stared at her, "And by no one more than me…and your daughter".

The Hatter took a step towards her, but River instantly backed away, eyeing her warily, though unless she and the Doctor decided to suddenly body-slam River, neither of them could really do much to try and grab her in handcuffs. She sighed heavily, "River, what you're saying…" she paused, licking her lips, choosing her words carefully, "We're touched, we truly are and we are so grateful that you care for us so deeply , neither of us ever imagined any one would care so much…but…" she took a deep breath, looking back up to her with a sad look, "The Doctor and I have to die, we're ground zero of an explosion that will engulf _all_ of reality. Billions upon _billions_ of innocents will suffer greatly and die _unless_ the Doctor and I die," she shook her head, frowning at her, "How could we possibly ever even consider allowing that to happen, River?Howcan _you_?"

River shook her head slowly, not looking away, tears running down her cheeks, "I'll suffer if I have to kill you".

"More than every living thing in the Universe?" the Doctor demanded at once, just trying to get her to see reason, to see that this had to happen.

"Yes!"

The Time Lady closed her eyes tightly, groaning, "Oh, River…"

"River…" he muttered, shaking his head in frustration, "River, why do you have to be this?" he looked back across to River, "Melody Pond…" he glared accusingly over to Amy and Rory, "Your daughter. I hope you're both proud," he turned away from them all.

"I'm not sure I completely understand…" Rory said to Amy, looking confused.

"We got married and had a kid and that's her," Amy explained quickly, nodding absently over towards River, not even looking at him.

"Okay".

"Sweetheart…" the Hatter stepped closer to the Doctor, who lifted his head to look at her, neither of them saying a word, not needing to. She supposed she had always known who River was, she had suspected so many different possibilities and this one had always been at the top of her list. It was nice to have confirmation at long last, "Amy," she called over her shoulder, not breaking eye contact with the Doctor, "You're going to need to un-cuff us now, if you would be so kind".

Amy looked slightly startled and she glanced at River, before walking over to them, reaching into her pocket to pull out a set of keys. She unlocked the handcuffs on the Hatter's wrists first, suspecting that the Doctor would probably insist that the Time Lady be released first, before turning to un-cuff the Doctor. The Time Lords shook their arms and rolled their shoulders as they were free, before the Doctor looked at the Hatter and gave her a small smile, right before he clapped his hands and spun around on the heel of his shoes.

"Okay!" he said quickly, suddenly quite energetic as the Hatter turned around, too, smiling widely, "We're going to need a strip of cloth about a foot long, since I doubt River's going to risk either of us touching her. Anything will do…" the Hatter cleared her throat and grabbed his shoulder, turning him towards her as she pointedly reached up to toy with his bowtie. He paused, glancing down and smiled, "Never mind. Dear, would you be so kind…"

The Hatter flashed him a cheeky smirk and tugged on the bowtie, allowing it to unravel in her fingers before she lifted it up over his head, leaving him to fix his collar as she turned back towards River, "Now, we're going to need some water…" she frowned slightly, looking a little concerned as she held the bowtie in her hand, "Which might be a slight issue…"

"Um, ma'am?" Rory cleared his throat slightly awkwardly, unclipping a small water canteen that was strapped to the side of his leg, "You can use this," he held the bottle out to her.

"Ah, thank you," she grinned, happily taking the bottle and unscrewing the lid, "Now, of course, usually there would be a few words spoken during the ceremony…" she said as she held one end of the bowtie on her palm, carefully tipping the bottle over her hand, letting a small stream of water to run over her palm, wetting the end of the fabric, "But since we're in the middle of a battlefield, I think we can do without all of that, not mention the fact that we are having to alter things slightly, but given the circumstances, it hardly matters. Doctor, your turn," she held out the water bottle and the bowtie.

"Probably wise," the Doctor remarked as he laid the cloth over his own palm, just as she had, and tipping the water bottle over the fabric, wetting the rest of it, "Those speeches truly did go on for _ages_. Dead boring, too," he glanced up to River and held out his hand with the cloth, "River, take one end of this. Wrap it around you hand, and hold it out to us," he instructed her.

River slowly approached them and carefully reached out; looking quite wary as she lightly took the cloth from his hand without touching his skin, wrapping the wet end of fabric around her fingers, "What am I doing?" she asked, looking back up to them in confusion.

"What we tell you, for once," the Hatter said lightly, reaching out to wrap her index finger in the cloth as the Doctor did the same with the very last inch of the fabric left, which was quite awkward trying to have three people holding a piece of fabric between each other, but they didn't have a choice. River would hardly allow them to dab their fingers in the water and touch her forehead, as was tradition, "Now, quick version…" she cleared her throat, looking across to Amy and Rory, "Captain Williams, I need you to say, 'I consent and gladly honour'".

Rory frowned slightly, looking puzzled, "What?"

She sighed, closing her eyes briefly, "Please, you have to say the words".

"I….consent and gladly honour".

"Need you to say it too, Amy," the Doctor told Amy.

"I consent and gladly honour," Amy repeated.

"Now, River," he turned back to River, his expression growing firm, "We're about to whisper something in your ear, and you have to remember it very, _very_ carefully, and tell _no one_ what we've said".

River blinked slightly, looking between both of their very serious faces, nodding quickly. They leaned closer to her; neither of them touching her as they did so, and whispered in her ears before pulling back from her. She was staring back at them with wide eyes, completely stunned as her mouth fell open.

"And now you know our true names," the Hatter smiled gently, her eyes briefly flickering over to Amy and Rory, who were watching them in confusion and curiosity. She cleared her throat, turning back to River, her expression softening again, "Welcome to the family, Melody Hattie Pond, our Goddaughter…" she paused and glanced back over to Amy and Rory as River blinked at that, before smiling widely, "Er…I do suppose we probably ought to have discussed it with you first, but given the lack of time…"

"No, no," Amy shook her head, looking quite surprised as she slowly smiled, looking between the Time Lords, "Couldn't have picked anyone better then you two".

The Doctor gave them a brief smile and turned back to River, growing serious once more, "Now, River Song…Melody Pond, as one of our last and only legally recognised family member, we have a request," he reached out with his free left hand, taking the Hatter's hand, not taking his eyes off River's, "This world is dying and it's our fault, and we _can't_ bear it another day".

"We need your help, honoured daughter," the Hatter said pleadingly, "Please, _please_ help us. There isn't another way," she gave her a significant look.

River broke into a tearful smile and suddenly dropped her end of the cloth and threw her arms around them both, hugging them both tightly and pressing a quick kiss to the Hatter's cheek as they returned the hug just as tightly, closing their eyes as they felt time instantly starting to tick, when a bright white light surrounded them and everything faded…

…

Young River cried as she raised her arm up higher, aimed directly at the Doctor and the Hatter as they stood side by side next to the lake, their heads bowed, just as four shots were fired, hitting them directly in their hearts. They stumbled backwards by the sheer force of the shots and a terrible scream rang out from the beach.

"Amy!" River yelled as she and Rory ran after Amy, who had tried to run to the Doctor and the Hatter, forcefully holding her back to stop her, "Stay back! They said to stay back!"

"No!" Amy shouted, struggling against them.

"We have to stay back!"

The Doctor and the Hatter collapsed on their knees on the sand, panting for breath as they stared down at their hands, seeing them starting to glow with golden regenerative energy.

"Doctor!" Amy called urgently, "Hatter!"

The Hatter slowly pulled herself back onto her own feet, turning her hands, looking at the energy swirling around her fingers as the Doctor also stood. Slowly, the Doctor looked back across to where Amy, Rory, and older River were standing, staring at them in horror, "I'm sorry," he breathed.

The Time Lady reached out and grabbed his arm, tears in her eyes as he turned to look at her, "Thank you," she said quietly, struggling to contain a sob, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't," he cut her off, giving her a watery smile, "I love your and Astra more than anything else in this Universe".

The sob broke free from her then, no longer able to hold it in, when the regeneration energy grew brighter and began to swirl around their heads. They let go of each other and slowly started raising their arms out on either side of them, closing their eyes tightly as they threw back their heads and allowed the energy to consume them…when another two shots hit them directly and the energy disappeared instantly, the Time Lords falling backwards onto the sand, dead.

Or at least that's how it appeared to the rest of the Universe, even to those closest to them believed it. But it wasn't the full story, far from it.

…

And time began again, just as it was supposed to be.

…

Two hooded figures walked silently side-by-side down the darkened tunnel of the Seventh Transept, one of the figures carrying the polished wooden box with Dorium's head encased inside it.

"Who's carrying me?" Dorium's muffled voice called from within the box as the figures continued walking, "I demand to know. I'm a head, I have rights!" the figures reached the pedestal, neither one saying a word as they placed the box back onto its rightful pedestal, "I want my doors open this time. I demand that my doors are open," silently, the figure that had carried the box reached out to slide the door open, revealing Dorium's head before both figures turned and began walking away. He blinked, eyeing their backs, "Is it you?" he asked, making the figures stop, slowly turning back towards him, their hoods hiding their faces from view, "It is, isn't it? It _is_ you two, I can sense it," he frowned slightly, looking between them, "But how did you do it? How could you have _possibly_ have escaped?"

….…. _ **Past**_ ….

" _Is there nothing else we can do?" the captain within the Teselecta asked, looking across to where the Doctor and the Hatter stood in the doorway._

 _The Hatter gave the robot a small, sad smile and shook her head, exchanging a small miserable look with the Doctor before she walked through the doorway, the Doctor following behind her, the door slowly starting to swing shut closed behind them…when, suddenly, a hand appeared on the edge of the door and the Doctor's head popped around it, grinning broadly as the Hatter peered over his shoulder, looking bright eyed and smiling happily, too._

" _Actually," the Doctor began happily, pointing back to the Teselecta, still smiling widely, "Thinking about it…"_

" _There might just be something you could do for us," the Hatter continued with a small smirk, playfully winking._

….

" _You don't have to do this," the Hatter said softly, reaching out to cover his hand where it was sitting on the table top between herself and the Doctor._

 _The Ganger Doctor gave her a gentle smile, turning his hand over so that he could entwine his fingers with hers, "I would do anything for you and Astra," he told her firmly, his eyes flickering over to the Doctor, "You understand, don't you?"_

" _Of course," the Doctor nodded, meeting his eyes, "That's why I knew you would agree to help us. Why I knew you wouldn't hesitate to help"._

 _The Hatter shook her head, frowning deeply, "I don't like this," she sighed, looking back to the Ganger Doctor, squeezing his hand in hers, "You shouldn't have to give up your life in order to help us"._

" _Hatter," the Ganger said softly, giving her a another gentle smile that was more heartbreaking then reassuring to her. He picked up her hand and lifted it up to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss against her knuckles, his eyes briefly fluttering closed as he did so. Slowly, he lowered her hand back down onto the table, meeting her eyes firmly, "It would be my honour, for your and Astra"._

….

" _Look into my eye," the Hatter whispered in River's ear as at the same time as the Doctor whispered to her, "Trust us"._

 _River pulled back slightly to look at them, her eyes meeting the Hatter's. She gasped, her own eyes widening in shock to see in the pupil of the Hatter's eyes, the Doctor and the Hatter grinning back at her, the Time Lady holding a small device in her hand and with a headset on, dancing around with each other before pausing to wave at her, the TARDIS just visible in the background as they seemed to be standing in some sort of corridor. As she watched them in disbelief, the Doctor and the Hatter held their figures up to their lips before the Doctor, grinning, gestured behind them to the TARDIS. She didn't know how they had managed it, but as she glanced back to the Doctor standing beside the apparently robot Hatter, she saw him very carefully give her a small wink and mouth, 'Play along'._

 _They had a plan the entire time, how could she possibly have thought for a second that they hadn't? Those two and their secrets, if she wasn't so relieved and happy, she would probably have killed them for all of this._

…..… _ **Present**_ ….…

Rather dramatically, the Doctor and the Hatter flipped back the hoods of their borrowed robes and allowed the fabric to slip off them, pooling onto the floor around their feet. They looked back to Dorium, grinning at him as his eyes widened, startled.

"The Teselecta was _very_ useful," the Hatter remarked lightly, smirking faintly, "We could hide ourselves away, safe and sound inside the robot, controlling it completely from my self built remote control and headset, while everyone else believed us to be dead on that beach".

"Barely got singed in that boat," the Doctor added with a small shrug, thinking about how Amy, Rory, River, and Canton had burned the fake Hatter in that boat.

The Hatter's smile faded and she swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden tears that had threatened to overcome her, "But we couldn't have done it without the Ganger Doctor," she said quietly, and he reached out to take her hand, squeezing it comfortingly as she looked back to him, "He gave up his own life for us. He was the hero that no one but us will ever even remember".

"He wanted to do it, for you and our daughter," he said soothingly, knowing that she still felt guilty over it; even though he knew that his Ganger had wanted to do it, for both the Hatter and Astra's sakes. He knew that his Ganger wouldn't have regretted his choice, not for one second.

"So you're going to do this?" Dorium asked them, raising his eyebrows, "Let them all think you're both dead?"

The Time Lady sighed slightly, looking a tad guilty, "Yes, I'm afraid," she nodded, "It's the only way. Hopefully it will give the Universe some time to forget all about us".

"We got to big, Dorium," the Doctor said to the head inside the box, "Too noisy…" he paused, glancing back to the Hatter, "Time to step back into the shadows".

"And Doctor Song, in prison all her days?" Dorium looked between them.

"Her days, yes," he said with a small shrug, before breaking into a small smile, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter, who smirked knowingly beside him, "But her nights?" he looked back to Dorium, his smile turning into a grin, "Well, that's a family affair".

He shook his head slightly, looking almost amused, "So many secrets," he commented, chuckling lightly, "I'll help you keep them, of course…"

"Well, you're not exactly going anywhere, are you?"

"Doctor," the Hatter gave him a scolding look, though it was slightly ruined by the very slight upturn on her lips.

Dorium didn't seem to like the remark, however, and his expression instantly grew harder, "You're fools nonetheless," he said with a grave expression, narrowing his eyes on them, "It's all still waiting for you both. On the Fields of Tenzalore, the fall of the Eleventh, and _the question_ ".

"Well, it's been lovely, Dorium," the Time Lady flashed him a smile, inclining her head slightly mockingly towards him, completely ignoring everything he had just said.

The Doctor gave him a mocking salute, not listening to a word he was saying, either, "Goodbye, Dorium," he said with a smile before he and the Hatter turned, hand-in-hand, and started walking back down the tunnel to where they had parked the TARDIS.

"The first question!" Dorium's voice rang out from behind them, "The question that must never be answered, hidden in plain sight! The question you've been running from all of your lives. Doctor who? Hatter who? Doc-tor-WHO!"

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and let the Hatter step through into the time machine first, before following in close behind her, closing the door firmly shut behind them, trying to shut out Dorium's shouts. He looked at the Hatter, his expression softening.

"Let's go get our daughter".

The Hatter laughed in delight and practically flew at him, practically jumping up onto him in her excitement at the idea of getting their baby back because this, _this_ was what it had all been about, not just about keeping themselves alive, but ensuring that they could bring their daughter home without fear of the Silence or Kovarian snatching her away from them. This is why the Ganger had sacrificed his life, this is why they had fought so hard and now, they could bring Astra home and be a family, truly and properly.

 _ **Yes! Astra is coming back and she'll be in the next chapter, which will be the mini episode 'Death is The Only Answer'. I considered showing the Time Lords showing up on Sarah Jane's doorstep for their daughter, but I'll probably just do that as a one-shot at some point or another, but I didn't really feel like I needed to show it in this chapter.**_

 _ **I apologise for not updating last week, I felt like needed to take a three day break from writing anything, just to stop myself from burning out from writing so much lately and give my hands/arms/shoulders a break, too. But it's here now and we finally know just who River Song is to the Doctor and the Hatter, I'm personally not religious at all and actually had to Google what Godparents are supposed to do, but I've always seen the Doctor and the Hatter as sort of being River's guides and people who she could trust and turn to when in need, sort of like parents but I didn't want to take that away from Amy and Rory, either.**_

 _ **Next chapter: The Doctor's in BIG trouble, Astra might have the Doctor' ego, and the Hatter wants lunch. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Sam Fraser:**_ _ **Oh, wow, I had no idea. You're right; it doesn't make sense knowing what a terrible war crime Churchill committed for the Doctor to be so friendly with him. That actually really shocked me at first, but when I actually thought about it, history is always being glossed over in places and I'm really not that shocked to imagine that something like that would be looked over due to Churchill being considered still to be a hero and a great political mind who helped win the Second World War. Still, it's horrible and it really, really doesn't make sense for the Doctor's character to be friendly with a person who could commit a crime like that. Thank you for telling me, I don't suppose you know any other 'heroes' who have had their past glossed over, too?**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **Yep, I'd be happy to…once I've had a chance to. Thanks for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **I'd have to do a lot more research into the Valeyard, I think, before even attempting to write a story like that one, since I feel like my understanding about his character is quite limited even though I've watched his Classic Who episodes. I'll consider doing something like that in the future, but at this point I just don't know if I'd have the time to try and do it, but I will keep it in mind. Thank you for the suggestion :)**_


	31. Chapter 31 Death Is the Only Answer

_**Death Is the Only Answer**_

The Hatter smiled to herself, gently humming her favourite Gallifreyan nursery rhyme as she leaned over the edge of the white crib that the Doctor had spent months hand carving, even carving in little stars and moons and Gallifreyan symbols that he had painted gold and silver so that the wood glittered slightly when the light caught it just in the right spots. He had spent so much time preparing the nursery, making it just right and done it all in secret, not revealing the truth until the Hatter had finally had enough of pretending as if she didn't know that he was keeping something from her. He had painted the walls in a pale yellow with a trim running partway up the walls with pictures of different cartoon animals on it, featuring giraffes, star whales, monkeys, K-9, and so many others with mixtures of both Earth and alien creatures, though the Hatter was very pleased have found all very friendly alien creatures.

She still couldn't quite believe that she was standing in this room again after two hundred years of desperately trying to pretend like it didn't exist, finding even seeing the outside of the door with Astra's name written across the wood in loopy golden writing to much to even bear seeing. But here she was, not only in the room, but standing over the crib looking down at her baby girl as she slept soundly with one hand fisted together above her head and the other one curled firmly around the Hatter's index finger, her tiny fingers so strong and yet so fragile all at the same time.

She didn't think she would ever be able to get used to this, she didn't think she ever _wanted_ to get used to it, Astra had only been home for three days now after they had gone to pick her up from Sarah Jane's and during that time neither the Doctor, nor the Hatter had been able to tear themselves away from Astra's side. It felt wonderful, beyond wonderful to have their daughter back where she was meant to be, the Hatter had even started wearing her hat again. They had been so happy to bring Astra back to the TARDIS and spend time with her that they had barely had a chance to try and properly thank Sarah Jane for all that she had done, something that they would very much have to fix because, from the Hatter's understanding, Astra hadn't made it easy on Sarah during the short two weeks that she had spent there. Apparently, Astra had barely stopped crying, save for feeding and sleeping, having sensed that neither of her parents were with her. Poor Sarah Jane, she had looked like a zombie when they had turned up on her doorstep.

"I really don't know who you take after more," the Hatter murmured as she shook her head fondly, starting to feel her finger going numb from not being moved for so long, but she just didn't have the heart to pull herself free quite yet, "Now, your father would say _me_ …" she smiled, amused, "But I'm pretty sure I see his twinkle in your eyes, just like your big sister, Jenny," she sighed sadly, thinking about Jenny, wondering what she would have thought about having a baby sister, "Oh, she was so much like him…or, at least, she would have been. And then there's you're other brothers and sisters...who are also, technically, your cousins…" she paused, frowning slightly, "Blimey, this family really is complicated".

Suddenly, the TARDIS gave a small jolt and the Hatter instinctively reached out to place her hand protectively on Astra's tiny chest, trying to keep her from rolling. Instantly, Astra woke up and began crying loudly, either from the jolt or the fact that the Hatter had accidently woken her, the Time Lady wasn't sure, but she was certainly awake now and apparently displeased.

"Oh, what now?" she growled under her breath, feeling her annoyance levels starting to rise. She had spent the past twenty minutes trying to get Astra to sleep and now she was wide awake, "Shh, hush now," she tried soothing the crying baby, carefully reaching into the crib to pick her up, still half-swaddled in a pink blanket, cradling her in her arms, "Nothing to cry about, my darling. Trust me, daddy's going to be the one to have something to cry about once I've finished dealing with him," she said lightly, though her expression was anything but gentle.

She continued trying to sooth Astra as she slipped through the nurseries doors and out into the hallway, gently rocking Astra in her arms and making shushing noises as she walked the short distance down the hallway and into the console room, just as Astra was finally starting to stop crying, though she didn't appear to be about to fall asleep any time soon, either. Oh yes, the Doctor was so dead for this.

"Doctor!" the Hatter called as she marched up the stairs, "What the hell have you been doing? You woke Astra up. I send you off to make us lunch and…" she trailed off, her eyes widening as she came to a sharp stop at the top of the stairs, finding not just the Doctor looking quite frightened and a little panicked, but a man with white hair, carrying a large test tube with some sort of bright green liquid inside it and wearing a fez, looking around in confusion as he stood on the top of the stairs, overlooking the console.

"Um…" the Doctor visibly swallowed, looking quickly back and forth between the man and his wife, who seemed to have frozen in shock, cradling a bundle of pink blankets in her arms. He cleared his throat, holding up a finger, "I can explain, dear".

She blinked slowly, dragging her eyes off the man and back to her husband, "Oh, good," she said a little dryly, "Excellent, because I really would like to know just why Albert Einstein is in the console room…" she frowned slightly, throwing Einstein a quick look, "…wearing a fez?"

"Oh, well…." he hesitated, "That is a little tricky because…" he lowered his finger, looking sheepish, "I don't know why Albert Einstein is in the console room, but I'm pretty sure it was accident".

"Doctor?" Einstein asked as he seemed to have finally have gotten his bearings, making them both turn towards him, "Hatter? That is you, is it?" he hurried down the stairs towards them, looking very confused, "Can you explain how my fez got here?" he pointed his finger up to the fez sitting atop his head.

"Albert Einstein," the Doctor greeted him brightly, holding out his arms, "Nice to see you. What are you doing here?" he moved to hug him quickly before stepping back from him.

"It's been a long time, Bertie," the Hatter smiled, moving forward, though she couldn't hug him and instead she carefully adjusted her hold on Astra so that she was holding her in one arm, reaching out with her left hand to pat his arm.

"Oh, you've had a little one," Einstein said happily, his eyes landing on Astra, who was looking up to him from within her blankets with curious eyes.

"Yes, this is Astra," the Doctor instantly softened, leaning over to take Astra's hands, almost becoming transfixed by the way that Astra curled her fingers around his thumb, blinking up at him. He smiled gently, looking close to turning into a puddle of mush.

The Hatter shook her head fondly, looking between the two of them for a moment, "Daddy's little girl, this one is," she remarked to Einstein, amused, "Now, I don't suppose you have any idea of how you wound up here?" she questioned him, growing serious.

Einstein turned his attention off the bundle of blankets as the Doctor cleared his throat, forcing himself to gently release himself from Astra's grip to focus on the older looking man, "I was working on _my_ time machine when it started shaking," he explained to them, "I put my hand in to try to turn it off, went straight through it, and ended up here".

"So how's it going, your 'time machine?'" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, using air quotes. He shook his head slightly and glanced at the Hatter, who struggled to hold back a smile as she cleared her throat and lightly rocked Astra as she started looking a little fussy.

"Oh, not great," he sighed, looking disappointed, "I've singed my eyebrows, almost died twice, and fallen off a cliff…" the Hatter raised her eyebrows, slightly alarmed by how close one of the greatest minds that the human race had ever been able to produce had come to killing himself, while the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the strange green liquid sitting in the bottom of Einstein's test-tube. Einstein didn't seem to notice, though, since he was too busy eyeing the Time Rotor, "In fact, I'm quite close to perfecting it," he continued, dragging his eyes off the console to look at them, holding the test tube up for them to see, "I think this liquid is the key".

The Doctor checked the results on his sonic screwdriver, "Oh, yes…" he said slowly, frowning slightly he glanced back to Einstein, looking quite wary, "But no".

"Well, is it 'yes' or 'no?'"

He looked back to him, his frown deepening, " _No_ ".

"So how did I get here?"

"Yes, something I would quite like to know, too," the Hatter remarked with a pointed look in the Doctor's direction, very curious about that question herself. She asked him to go and make them something for lunch while she put Astra down for a nap, only for this to happen. What was he even doing in the console room in the first place?

The Doctor slipped the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket, casting the Hatter a quick, slightly worried look, wondering just how much trouble he might be in once this was all over. He had accidently woken Astra up, he did that the day before when he tripped over the edge of the rocking chair in the nursery and had thought that the Time Lady was going to strangle him with one of Astra's jumpsuits. He cleared his throat and turned back to Einstein, trying to focus.

"You're the original owner of this fez…" he plucked the fez off Einstein's head, ignoring his small noise of protest as he moved to stand on the other side of him, spinning back around to face him, "The fez I happened to be carrying during an unavoidable collision with this lever…" he sat the fez down on one of the levers on the console, which had a red rubber handle, and the Hatter sighed with an eye roll. Yes, of course he had to go and fall into that one, didn't he? Still, she supposed it could have been worse…, "My lever plus your fez equals time window in the TARDIS," he went on, pretending that he hadn't noticed the Hatter's reaction, " _My_ TARDIS, by the way," he focused back onto Einstein and pointing at him, fixing him with a stern look, "So don't get any ideas trying to steal it. Again".

"Yes, that was quite clever," the Hatter narrowed her eyes on Einstein, who shifted slightly on the spot, "We won't fall for that again…well, I hope not, anyway," she frowned slightly, glancing at the Doctor as she adjusted Astra in her arms, "That could be a tad embarrassing".

Einstein looked between them, "You said you were going to give my toothbrush back," he reminded them, giving them both a pointed look.

She blinked slightly, "Oh, right," she muttered, looking quickly back to the Doctor, "Well, there might be a small issue with that, now that I think about it…"

"Yes, about that…" the Doctor nodded slowly, looking a little awkward as he turned back Einstein, "The Dalek's kind of exterminated it last week…or was it last century, dear?" he frowned, looking back to her.

"Time travel," she shook her head, "Hard to keep it straight in your head. Plus, caring for a month old infant does make things harder," she gave Astra a pointed nod as Astra cooed up at her, making both Time Lords smile as she lightly dabbed at the corner of her mouth, wiping a bit of spit off Astra's chin, "Yes, you are pleasure, my darling, thought it's rather cheeky and arrogant for you to be pointing it out…" she threw the Doctor a look, "She get's that from you".

"So, getting back to this…" Einstein cut in as the Doctor looked ready to protest, holding up the test tube for them to see it clearly, "I guess it's not bionic fusion liquid?"

"Never mind, pass it to me," the Doctor said, and took the test tube out of his hands and sat it carefully on the console, reaching into his blazer pocket, "We'll…well, I guess _I'll_ run some tests," he corrected himself as he glanced at the Hatter, smiling faintly at the sight of her cradling Astra, before he pulled his eyes away and pulled a set of yellow safety glasses out of his pocket, slipping them on.

"I made it," Einstein huffed slightly, carefully snatching the test tube back before he could even put the glasses on properly, " _I'll_ do the tests".

He sighed, rolling his eyes behind the glasses as he looked at the Time Lady, who was smiling in amusement, "That's the 20th century physicist for you," he looked back over to Einstein, "Always wanting to do it themselves," he reached up to slip the safety glasses off, popping them onto the console with a flick of his hair, slightly disappointed he didn't get to run the tests himself.

"Where have you hidden my bicarbonate processing machine?" Einstein looked around, seeming to be slightly annoyed as the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look as they stepped beside each other, "Huh?" he shot the Time Lords a sharp look, waving a hand around at them before he turned and began to head for the stairs that led to the upper levels of the TARDIS. The Doctor closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and stay calm, while the Hatter shook her head in amusement, "A genius like me needs better than this old trash!"

The Time Lords heads snapped around to him, both looking greatly insulted.

"Excuse me?" the Hatter narrowed her eyes on Einstein's back as he trotted back up the stairs. She even adjusted Astra's in her arms so that she could reach out and soothingly pat the side of the console, knowing that the old girl wouldn't have liked that little remark.

"Old trash?" the Doctor exclaimed, offended as he turned to glare at his retreating back, "I'll have you know this 'old trash' will be around till the end of time!" he turned away from him and back towards the console, pausing to hold up a hand, "In fact, it _was_ ".

The Time Lady sighed and moved to his side again, carefully moving Astra across to be cradled in her other arm, feeling her right arm starting to arch, "Hush now, sweetheart," she said reassuringly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek, trying to get him to calm down, "I think you've made your point well enough and certainly defended the old girls honour…" she frowned slightly, her eyes catching the readings on the monitor screen that was above the controls, "Ooh, are those the results from that curious liquid? If so, that's not good, not good at all."

He looked up at the screen, too, "Ah, Albert," he called over his shoulder, looking a little concerned as he read the results moving across the screen, "I almost forgot, whatever you do, do not drink that liquid. It may…" he and the Hatter turned back towards the stairs, only for their eyes to widen in shock to see Einstein suddenly whirl back around to reveal that he had somehow turned into an Ood with glowing red eyes, the test tube now empty, "Ooh!" he said in a slightly high-pitched voice, trying hard to get over his surprise as he glanced hurriedly back to the Hatter, who had taken a step back and was cradling Astra closer to herself. He quickly moved to step in front of them, not entirely sure just how this might go, and given their history with Ood, he wasn't about to take any risks, "I like the new look, don't you, dear?" he cleared his throat and glanced back to the Hatter.

The Hatter fixed a smile to her face, tightening her hold on Astra, ready to start running or ducking if need be with Astra firmly in her arms. She didn't think that Ood Einstein was going to try and attack them, of course, but you just could never be sure and she wasn't going to take any chances with Astra's safety, "Yes, sweetheart," she nodded, flashing the Ood a smile, "Great look, very…Ood like. I do so like all those tentacles, maybe I should think about getting some myself".

The Ood Einstein stepped down the stairs towards them, holding up the communication orb in its hand, "Death is the only answer," it told them, the orb lighting up as it spoke.

"Yeah…" she said slowly, her smile growing slightly strained as she looked at the Doctor's back, "Not exactly the most comforting response".

The Doctor nodded with a small frown, not overly comfortable with it either, not with his wife and baby in the room, "Can you hear me, Ood?" he asked it, watching it closely, "What's your name?"

The Ood Einstein walked closer to him, making him back away carefully, trying to lure it away from the Hatter and Astra, "Death is the only answer".

"What do you mean?" his frown deepened, growing quite worried now, "The answer to what?" the Ood didn't reply, still advancing on him and forcing him backwards, while the Hatter watched worriedly from beside the console, "Okay…you don't want to tell me, but wait, wait…!" he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a yo-yo, which had once belonged to the Ninth Hatter, dangling it in front of the Ood and letting it swing backwards and forward, "This is what you're looking for. Huh?" he tried, relieved when the Ood stopped advancing and seemed to focus on the yo-yo, "Power source for your time machine, hmm?"

The Hatter, seeing her chance, reached over to the console with her free hand and grabbed a lever with one of the red rubber handles, pulling it. Instantly, a shimmering sort of square appeared in the air by the bottom of the staircase and the Ood turned, walking straight into the shimmering time window. The room was filled with a flickering bright light for a moment, which made Astra start crying unhappily as the Hatter tried soothing her, keeping her eyes on the time window, just as Einstein stepped out from the window with his hair very frizzy and sticking up all over the place, just like he was depicted a being in Television shows and cartoons.

"What just happened?" Einstein asked, his hair smoking slightly.

"Bit of a long story," the Hatter sighed, raising her voice over Astra's fussing, trying to gently bounce her as she held her hand carefully over the back of her head to make sure her head didn't bounce around, "Oh, Astra, hush now," she muttered, leaning down to press a kiss onto Astra's head, "The nasty lights gone".

The Doctor walked closer to Einstein, "You went a bit Ood," he told him, making Einstein frown, "Er…a bit odd," he hastily corrected himself, seeing his expression, "Nice hair, you should keep it," he pointed to his frizzy hair, smiling, "Looks more sciencey".

"I don't feel so good," Einstein said, looking a little dazed still, "Will you drop me off home, please?"

"Of course we will," the Hatter smiled at him, sighing in relief as Astra stopped fussing and settled. She moved around towards him, giving him a slightly worried look, "Perhaps you'd better sit down…before you fall down".

"Yes, yes," he nodded a little weakly, letting her lightly guide him over to the nearest jump seat, practically collapsing into the seat. He tilted his head back, breathing heavily with his eyes squeezed shut.

The Doctor joined them and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, flashing it over Einstein as the Hatter looked quite concerned. He checked the results, nodding to himself as he tucked the sonic back into his pocket before giving the man a smile, "Sorry about that, exactly what year did you come from?" he asked him, pleased that there wouldn't be any long term damage done.

"Uh…1945, I think".

"Don't worry, Bertie," the Hatter said comfortingly, reaching out with her free hand to place a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile, "You'll be home soon enough, I promise".

She and the Doctor turned towards the controls, the Time Lady typing one handed the date and time, while the Doctor moved around the controls, setting them off as the Time Rotor began moving up and down and the sound of the engines filled the room. Astra made a cooing noise, which made the Doctor laugh, just as he was passing the Hatter to reach one of the controls.

"That's right, my little star," he grinned, pausing to drop a kiss onto Astra's head as the Hatter rolled her eyes fondly, "It's a brilliant noise. See, dear?" he gave the Hatter a pointed look, "Even our daughter agrees with me that the TARDIS sounds better with the breaks on".

The Hatter gave him a look, though she was clearly trying hard not to smile, "Perhaps that would mean more if she could actually drive, Doctor," she said dryly, looking down to Astra's face poking out from the blankets, "Don't worry, darling, you'll soon learn the proper way to pilot a TARDIS".

"But we'll all know who she _really_ agrees with," the Doctor planted a quick kiss to the Hatter's cheek before she could reply and spun away from them to pull a lever, bringing the time machine to a stop, "Here we go!" he called throughout the room, twirling around on the spot and clicking his fingers together, "1945!" he moved around the console to where Einstein was still sitting, looking a bit pale, "18th of September, about ten o'clock," he stepped over to him and grabbed his arm, putting it around his shoulders to help hoist him up from the seat, guiding him over towards the TARDIS doors as the Hatter followed close behind them.

"Back to the drawing board," Einstein sighed, carefully stepping down the stairs leading down to the doors, "I guess you are keeping the fez, then?"

"Well, fezzes look better one me then you," he replied with a small shrug, "Like bow ties," he flashed the Hatter a smirk over his shoulder, "Plus, the Hatter thinks I look handsome in them".

"Doctor, honestly," the Hatter muttered, her cheeks heating up as she coughed slightly.

Einstein laughed faintly, shaking his head at them, "Typical Doctor," he commented with a hint of fondness, pausing by the doors to look back to the Time Lords as the Hatter came to stand beside the Doctor, who wrapped an arm around her waist, "Some things never change. Oh well, good bye," he held out his hand, smiling broadly.

The Doctor happily returned his smile, "Goodbye, Albert," he took his hand and shook it, before releasing it.

"Farewell, old friend," the Hatter smiled at him, moving forward to lightly kiss his cheek, "And do be careful, please," she finished with a stern look, stepping back beside the Doctor.

Einstein waved his hand at her and paused to give Astra's head a gentle pat, before he turned and pushed the doors open, disappearing outside. The moment the doors swung closed behind him, the Time Lords were already hurrying back up to the console and setting off back into the Time Vortex, neither of them noticing the small blob of green liquid that was slinking across the glass floor.

"Well," the Doctor sighed, turning to the Hatter once they had parked, "That was…unexpected".

"Quite," the Time Lady agreed, raising her eyebrows at him, "I don't suppose you ever got around to making us lunch?"

"Um…"

She rolled her eyes and stepped across to him, gently passing Astra into his arms, which he was more than happy to do as he cradled her in the crook of his arm, looking gently down at her small face, "You put Astra to bed," she said sternly, pointing a finger at him as he lifted his head, "While I deal with food, then…" she broke into a wide smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement, "Let's see where the old girls decides to take us next".

He grinned back at her and leaned down, pressing a kiss against Astra's head. Yes, some things never changed, indeed.

 _ **Here we are, sooner than normal because it's a mini episode rather than a full episode, so you'll be getting the next chapter on Saturday, as per usual. I actually had a lot of fun writing this episode, it gave me a chance to be able to get into the swing of writing the Doctor and the Hatter dealing with Astra, so I kind of consider this chapter to be my own experiment to see if I could do it and feel happy with the results, before I started writing the next chapter. Thankfully, I actually found it really easy and turned out that I was quite happy with my first thoughts of how to present Astra in the story.**_

 _ **Next chapter: the Hatter uses a joke she's been waiting to be able to use on the Doctor ever since he regenerated, it might be very unwise to ever allow the Doctor be unsupervised when it comes to decorating, and Astra's already developing quite an attitude. Tell me what you thought, please review :)**_

 _ **Guest review:**_

 _ **Sam Fraser:**_ _ **I've already partly answered your review on my Tumblr, so I won't both repeating myself on here, but as for the rest of your review on here, I still need to have a better look at the book you suggested (I literally had my final day of high school today…just got my gradation on the 22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **and it will all be official!), but I would like to one day maybe try and write some original adventures for the Doctor and the Hatter, or even just past adventures that the Hatter did without the Doctor, so your suggestion is very interesting one to me and I'll have to keep it in mind for if I ever get the time to take on a project like that. So thank you so much for taking the time to suggest a story idea and giving me a book to possibly look into :)**_


	32. 32Time Lords, the Widow, & Wardrobe, P1

_**The Time Lords, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, Part 1**_

The Hatter sighed to herself, her eyes fixed onto the TARDIS monitor that hung over the console, watching as a very large spaceship loomed over the Earth, preparing guns all along the sides of the red ship to aim them directly towards the Earth, while on the same screen, up in the corner, there was a small screen with the Doctor running through corridors of the ship, the Hatter having managed to hack her way into the ships security camera feed, though she could do little else to try and assist him from the console room of the TARDIS, just act as a second pair of eyes while he was busy working on stopping the ship from attacking the Earth. Still, if he had only listened to her, he wouldn't be needing to run through the corridors right now.

"Your father, Astra," she muttered, shaking her head, "Truly is a fool sometimes," she pulled her eyes off the screen to look over to where a small playpen had been set up, Astra lying on her back on a playmat that had several bright and colourful little plastic and soft toys hanging above her, though she was still a little young to be properly playing with the toys, but she enjoyed looking up at them as she sucked on her fist.

Astra gave a little squeal from around her fist.

She smiled slightly, "Very brave, yes…" she sighed slightly, turning her attention back onto the screen, "But never forget, my darling, bravery is more often than not just another form of foolishness".

She watched in concern as the ship began exploding on the screen, all throughout the ship carefully placed explosions going off, which was good considering that it meant that the Earth was now safe...however, the Doctor was still right in the thick of the exploding ship, running through the hallways, ducking and diving out of the way of bursts of flames as he picked up his pace, just before both images on the screen flickered and were filled with static, apparently the explosions had finally cut off the security cameras. Now, she was blind and the Doctor was still in the middle of that ship, very much in danger of getting himself blown up or sucked into space.

The Hatter desperately tried to keep her emotions in check, knowing that if she allowed even the slightest hint of fear or worry to cross her mind, Astra would be able to sense it and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Astra, as a Time Tot, was so sensitive to everything around her, especially at this young age, and if she felt that her parents were in any way afraid or worried, she would be able to pick up on it. So the Hatter gripped the console tightly, just trying to keep her emotions under control, just _hoping_ that whatever was happening to the Doctor, he would be able to handle it okay on his own because right now, there wasn't much she could do to try and help.

They had been trying to work out a way to keep their old lifestyle while also keeping Astra away from the more dangerous aspects of their lives. It had been quite difficult, but they were very lucky in the respect that they had Sarah Jane, one of the very few people in the Universe to know that they were alive, who was more than happy to babysit for them when the Doctor and the Hatter felt that something was too big and dangerous for them to not both be involved, meaning that Astra needed to be sent somewhere else for her own safety and to allow the Time Lords to be able to work without worrying about her.

This little adventure was supposed to be simple with only one of them needing to deal with it, the Doctor having won the rock, paper, scissors round, and so the Hatter had reluctantly conceded defeat and agreed to stay behind in the TARDIS, looking after Astra and keeping an eye on the Doctor from a distance. Apparently, they had both been quite wrong about this being just a simple matter…though, if the Doctor had only listened to her and set up the timer like she had told him to do, then all of this could have been easily fixed. Now, he was currently in danger of being blown up and she couldn't do a thing, since she wasn't able to get an accurate lock on him with the ship being destroyed interfering with the TARDIS sensors.

Astra began fussing, her face screwed up in distress as the Hatter inwardly groaned, realising that she had accidently let some of her worry slip through while she had been busy concentrating on the screen.

"Don't worry, Astra," the Hatter said hurriedly, quickly turning away from the console and moving to bend over the playmat, picking her up to cradle her against her shoulder, gently rubbing her back, "Hush, now, mummy really does need to concentrate right now…" she gently bounced her as she moved back to the blank screen, knowing that it was useless, but she just couldn't help wanting to try and know what was happening to the Doctor. She sighed as Astra only seemed to fuss more, closing her eyes briefly, "Yes, I know you're worried about your father, so am I…but I'm sure he's perfectly fine".

Astra's settled slightly, much to the Time Lady's relief as she pressed a kiss to Astra's head as she looked back to the monitor. She hated not knowing what was going on, so she carefully adjusted Astra in her arms and reached out with her right hand to turn one of the dials on the screen, trying to see if she could change the frequencies. The screen crackled for a moment, before an image appeared on the screen of the spaceship, though it mostly looked like a lot of broken bits of metal floating around in space now, some pieces still on fire as the oxygen field still seemed to be intact in places, but then she noticed something. It was just a flash of light as something entered the Earth's atmosphere, she barely even caught it before it disappeared, but it was all she needed to feel some of the weight lift off her shoulders and a grin to spread across her face. Sure, it could have been a bit of the spaceship, but she didn't think so, no, she knew it _had_ to be the Doctor.

"Oh, you brilliant, clever man," she breathed, laughing, only just resisting jump up and down with Astra in her arms. She turned her head to look at Astra, who looked back to her with greenish blue eyes, kissing her forehead, "Come on, darling, let's go and find your father".

Astra cooed and clumsily shoved her fist back into her mouth, apparently quite pleased by the idea.

…

It was apparently Christmas Eve, 1938 and as the Hatter poked her head around the door, she smiled faintly at the sight of the snow scattered all around the field that she had landed them in, though there wasn't any sign of the Doctor.

"Look, Astra!" she said excitedly, grinning broadly in delight as she opened the door a bit wider for Astra to be able to see, "Snow! Your first snow…oh," her smile faltered slightly and she sighed, "The Doctor's going to be so disappointed that he missed this," she bit her lip and glanced at Astra, "How about we keep this between us, okay?" Astra gargled, making her smile widely, "That's my girl".

She stepped back into the TARDIS and closed the doors, deciding that while it was one thing for Astra to see the snow for the first time, it would quite enough to let her go outside to experience it properly without the Doctor here to see it. Plus, Astra wasn't quite dressed for it, so she decided to wait for the Doctor to track them down, which really shouldn't take too long…she hoped.

….

The Doctor did finally turn up, though it took him a good twenty minutes and by the time he staggered through the doors, the Hatter was sitting on the console jump seat, bottle feeding Astra. The moment the sound of the door opening sounded, Astra pulled herself away from the bottle and gave a loud squeal of delight, milk dribbling down her chin.

The Hatter smiled slightly and sat the bottle aside, using a small piece of cloth to wipe the milk away, "Ah, finally, sweetheart," she said happily, climbing onto her feet and turning towards him, "We've been waiting…is that an impact suit?" she blinked slightly, catching sight of the Doctor wearing a silvery spacesuit…backwards with the helmet covering his face and showing the back of his head through the open visor.

"Hello, dear," his muffled voice came and he stumbled towards them, holding out his hands to blindly try and make his way, he almost face planted the floor as he reached the stairs and tried to climb them.

She quickly put Astra down on her playmate and moved to help him, grabbing his arm to help guide him up the stairs, slightly afraid he was going to end up killing himself in his currently blind and always clumsy state, "You are aware that it's back to front, aren't you?" she asked him.

"I was in a rush!"

"Clearly," she smiled, and helped him over to the jump seat she had just vacated, "Is it too soon for me to say I told you so?"

The Doctor gave her a look…or, at least she thought he did, it was rather hard to see his expression with the helmet on, "Would you help get this helmet off?" he muttered instead, trying to tug at his gloves.

She smiled, feeling rather victorious as she reached around to the proper front of his suit, helping to unlock the seal on the helmet to pull it off. She couldn't help giggling at his very flat hair as she freed his head, "Oh, dear, sweetheart," she said in a mock worried tone, a cheeky thought popping into her head. It was just too tempting not to.

His eyes widened, alarmed, "What?" he quickly reached up with his hands, one still covered by a glove, touching his cheeks, "What's wrong?"

"You're eyebrows, Doctor, they're _completely_ missing".

He lowered his hands, narrowing his eyes at her as she burst out laughing, "Very amusing, dear," he said dryly, though there was a hint of fondness, "How long have you been saving that one?"

She grinned, kissing his cheek quickly, "Since you regenerated and apparently forget about eyebrows".

He shook his head fondly, actually smiling slightly himself, just as Astra gave a very loud coo, reminding them that she was still there. Instantly, his eyes lit up in delight and he seemed to forget all about the rest of his suit as he stood, moving to lift his daughter up from her playmat to snuggle her against his chest, "Oh, my little star," he said softly, dropping a kiss onto Astra's forehead, "Were you a good girl for you mummy? Hey?" he pulled back slightly to look at Astra's face.

"She did get a little worried for a moment there," the Hatter told him, smiling gently as she watched them, "We _both_ were," she added, giving him a pointed look and the Doctor gave her a quick, slightly apologetic smile. She shook her head, raising her eyebrows, "Out of curiosity, what took you so long to find us? You must have landed a good forty minutes ago".

"Kept finding the wrong police boxes," he sighed, "Being blind didn't help," he brightened slightly, "Ooh, but I got help from a nice woman, she drove me all around the village. Madge Arwell, her name was".

The Hatter blinked slightly in surprise, before smiling, "Oh, how sweet of her…" she paused, giving him a quick look, raising her eyebrows again, "And she didn't find it a little odd that you were dressed like this?" she waved a hand towards his impact suit, imagining that it would be a very strange thing to see in 1938.

The Doctor shrugged, lightly bouncing Astra, "She was British and human," he said, as if it ought to explain everything, which the Time Lady supposed it probably should.

She nodded in mild agreement, looking thoughtfully at the console for a moment as a small smile crossed her face, "Well, I think we ought to return her kindness, don't you?" she said brightly, her eyes lighting up as she turned back to him, already having something in mind…

….

After a little bit of research into Madge Arwell and her family, discovering that she had two children, a daughter called Lily and a boy called Cyril, the Doctor and the Hatter set their plan into motion, both having agreed that not only was it the right thing to do in order to thank Madge for her kindness, but that it was also a good learning experience for Astra, teaching her that when someone did a kind deed for you, you ought to return that kindness. During their research they discovered that the family had an Uncle Digby, who owned a very old manor house in the countryside, and that the family had tended to spend time their during the Christmas period during the bombings of the Second World War in an attempt to escape from London.

The house was very large, though rather old and a bit neglected looking; seeming to have been built during the Victorian era, but the Hatter imagined that due to the lack of proper care, the house probably looked far older then it truly was. Still, it hardly bothered her or the Doctor, though Astra was slightly more wary of the house and ended up crying very loudly when they first arrived, apparently not liking how dark some places of the house was. Thankfully, the Doctor was able to get her to settle down after a few rounds of peek-a-boo that had Astra giggling and kicking excitedly in her thick white tights, red woollen dress and green long sleeve top. The Hatter couldn't resist putting a small, baby sized Santa hat on Astra either, even if it probably wouldn't stay on long.

It took the Doctor and the Hatter two days of work to set up the house to just how they wanted it, both having great fun coming up with ideas and plans on what fun things they could do to keep the children entertained. Almost every room in the house had been modified in some way by the time they had finished, leaving them to have to wait for when the Arwells would arrive. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long and on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, there was a loud knocking noise on the large double front doors of the house.

The Hatter's head snapped up from where she had just been fluffing up one of the couch cushions, looking across to the Doctor, who was carrying Astra. She broke into a smile, "I think they're here," she said excitedly, unable to wait to see what the kid's reactions would be to what they had done.

"Mr Cardew!" a woman's voice rang out through the house.

The Doctor grinned, meeting the Hatter's eyes, "We'd better let them in," he said happily, and the Hatter reached to take Astra from him, holding her firmly in her arms as they quickly left the living room, both very eager to see their plan finally put into action as they hurried into the large entrance hall of the house, which had a grand, sweeping wooden staircase running up to the upper levels of the house that directly faced the front doors. He moved towards the doors to start unlocking them, seeming to be struggling slightly with the bolts locking the door.

"Father!" the voices of two children called from other side of the door, followed by the sound of running footsteps.

"Sorry!" he called back through the door, frowning slightly as he continued to struggle with the door as the Hatter eyed him, wondering if she ought to step in to help, "It's the door! It's developed a fault…" he screwed up his face and gripped the doorhandle, trying to pull it open as the whole door rattled rather dangerously on its hinges.

The Hatter placed her hand over the back of Astra's head protectively; frowning slightly as she looked between the door and the Doctor, "Um, sweetheart, that doesn't look entirely safe…" she began, slightly apprehensively.

"Oh, hello?" a woman's voice came, cutting off the Time Lady, "Mr Cadew…"

The door suddenly broke free from its hinges and the Doctor jumped aside as the Hatter winced, trying to cover Astra's sensitive ears as the door landed on the floor with a loud bang. At once, Astra began crying and the Hatter groaned loudly, shooting the Doctor a dark look as he looked at her sheepishly, neither of them seeming to have noticed the three rather stunned looking people standing on the doorstep, staring in through the doorway with small suitcases at their sides.

"Um…sorry, dear," the Doctor said awkwardly, trying to give her a smile.

Her glare didn't falter as she tried soothing Astra, rubbing her back and gently tucking Astra's head under her chin, "You are so dead…" she mouthed to him, already thinking of ways to get back at him for this, eating all of his custard and fish fingers being one of them…

He swallowed a little fearfully, knowing that if there was one way to make the Hatter angry, it was to make Astra start crying, even accidental. He cleared his throat and fixed a broad smile onto his face, stepping up onto the broken door to look back to the small family still standing on the doorstep, staring back at him and the Hatter in confusion and shock. The woman, Madge, had curly blonde hair in the typical early 40's style and wore a long pinkish coat, while a dark haired girl, Lily, had her hair in two plaits and stood beside a younger boy with glasses that made his eyes look twice their actual size. The Arwells.

"Hello, there!" he said brightly to them, deciding that it would be best to just move on before the Hatter ended up trying to kill him right then and there, raising his voice slightly over Astra's cries, "Well, come in," he gestured for them to come inside, seeing them still just standing there, staring at him, "In you come!" he stepped aside to allow them to slowly move into the entrance hall, while the Hatter finally managed to calm Astra, though she still gave the Doctor a small glare when he glanced at her. He cleared his throat, smiling at the small family, "Mind your step," he told them as he glanced down at the door on the floor, before flashing Madge a reassuring smile, "Now, don't worry, the back door is still, broadly speaking…" he bent down to pick up the door and fitted it back into place as he spoke, before spinning back around to face them, "Operational".

"Not for a lack of trying on his part, mind you," the Hatter remarked as she glanced at him, her expression softening now, feeling much more inclined towards him now that Astra had stopped crying and seemed to be taking in the Arwells with interest. She smiled as she turned back to the small family, "He tried to add a pulley system to it, but I thought that it might not be wise. If we need to escape it's better to escape quickly…" she wined slightly as the humans all gave her a startled look, "Not that I expect we'll be _needing_ to escape…I hope," she finished a little awkwardly, realising that she came very close to jinxing herself.

The Doctor simply smiled cheerfully, apparently oblivious, "Right, then," he looked to the humans, "May I take your cases?"

Madge gave him a grateful look, "Thank you," she sat her case down on the floor beside her.

"Thank you," both children said politely, and sat their own cases down on the floor.

"Lovely," he continued smiling, rubbing his hands together briefly, "Would you mind carrying them for me?" he stepped right over Cyril's suitcase and moved to the Hatter's side, leaving the family to blink at him in surprise, "We need to show you around. Dear?" he gave the Hatter a questioning look and held out his arms hopefully.

The Hatter smiled, almost indulgently, "Looks like its daddy's turn, darling," she cooed as she dropped a kiss onto Astra's head, ignoring her Santa hat, and shifted Astra across into his waiting arms. She had to admit, it was a bit of a relief, her arm was starting to arch, something she suspected he had probably noticed and decided to give her a break. She glanced back over to the family as the Doctor grinned and happily began bouncing Astra in his arms, "Well, come along, you lot," she gestured with them to follow as she and the Doctor turned, heading for the stairs, "Can't stand around here all day, can we?"

"Oh no, wait!" Madge called hurriedly, bringing the Time Lords to a stop midway up the stairs, turning back around to look down at them, "Who are you?" she frowned slightly, looking between them curiously, her eyes lingering on the baby snuggling into the Doctor's tweed blazer.

"I'm the caretaker," the Doctor replied with a broad grin, "And this is my wife," he nodded over to the Hatter, "The…housekeeper," he said with a slight hesitation.

"That's me; please call me the Hatter," the Hatter nodded with a smile, giving them a little wave, "Hello. Oh, and this is our daughter, Astra," she reached over to pick up Astra's hand and giving it a little wave towards the humans, laughing slightly as Astra gargled something, "Astra's very pleased to meet you all," she translated for them.

Madge smiled faintly, before she frowned, eyeing the Doctor, "But you're not Mr Cardew".

The Doctor shifted slightly, exchanging a quick look with the Hatter, "…I agree".

"I don't understand," she shook her head, "Are you the _new_ caretaker?"

"I suppose you could say that…" the Hatter said slowly, casting the Doctor a look.

The Doctor fixed a smile onto his face and stepped back down the stairs towards the humans, shifting Astra in his arms, "Usually called the Doctor," he told them, giving his right shoulder a small shrug, "Or the caretaker or Get Off This Planet…"

"Though, that last one isn't exactly a name," the Time Lady commented lightly, giving him a fond smile as she moved back down the stairs, just a step behind him. She shook her head as they reached the bottom of the stairs and neared the family, "Bit of a mouthful if it was, I'd have to shorten it to Fred, most likely".

"Well, it is a bit of a tradition," the Doctor agreed with a grin in her direction, thinking about the time he had tried to shorten Romana's name to Fred because her actual full name was absurdly long. As he recalled, Romana hadn't been overly impressed by the whole idea. He shook his head, almost smacking his chin against the white fluffy pom-pom on top of Astra's hat as he did so, ignoring the way that it tickled his chin. He had accidently knocked the hat off earlier that day when he had been playing with Astra and Astra had been most displeased with him for messing with her hat, apparently she took after her mother in that department. He flashed Madge a smile and held out his free right hand, "Hello, Madge Arwell".

Madge slowly reached out to shake his hand, looking a little confused and unsure as she did so, "Hello".

The Hatter moved forward and took her hand the moment she let go of the Doctor's, shaking it happily, "It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Madge," she said sincerely, before she let go of Madge's hand and turned towards the children, leaning down slightly so that she was almost eye level with them, "And hello there, Lily," she offered her hand to the girl, who slowly took it and shook. She grinned broadly, letting go of her hand, "Lovely name, Lily, I have a very old and dear friend called Lily. Brilliant woman, bit bossy".

"And you must be Cyril Arwell!" the Doctor added, turning to hold out his hand towards the slightly younger boy, shaking his hand as Cyril looked a little unsure of this strange man. Astra babbled something, looking up to the Doctor's face, making him laugh as the Hatter shook her head fondly, "Yes, my little star," he agreed, glancing back to Cyril, "Cyril is a very good name for a teddy bear, isn't it?"

"Later, my darling," the Hatter said gently, leaning across to lightly touch Astra's cheek before dropping her hand and turning back to Arwells, "Anyway, back to that tour".

"Yes, lots to see," he brightened, turning and starting to head off down the hallway that ran along the left side of the staircase, but he paused to look back to the humans, pointing a finger at them, "Take notes, there will be questions!"

…

The Doctor and the Hatter led the way through the house, while the Arwells trailed along behind them, until they reached a set of double doors, which the Hatter practically skipped ahead to grab the doorhandles of. She looked back over her shoulder to the children.

"You're going to love this," she told them, winking before she turned back to the doors and dramatically pushed them open to revel a rather normal looking sitting room…well, she supposed _normal_ might not be the right word for it, considering that it was a bit more elegant then most people's sitting rooms.

Wintery sunlight was streaming in through the large windows along the left side of the room, filling the fairly large space with light as on the opposite side of the room a Georgian style fireplace stood. A large Turkish rug covered the old floorboards and several paintings hung along the yellow wallpapered walls. There was even a harp and a piano in the room, while several chairs were scattered around the space.

"Smaller sitting room," the Doctor remarked as they gathered around the doorway, looking into the room, still carrying Astra in his arms, "Just chairs," he pulled a slight face, casting her eyes around the room, "Bit pointless without a television, so we made some repairs…"

The Hatter smiled widely and reached across to press a small button on the doorframe, turning back to watch as the children's mouths fell open in amazement as all the chairs in the room began zooming around the floor, dancing, making Astra coo in delight and start kicking.

The Doctor laughed as he tightened his hold on Astra, who was wiggling so much that he was a little worried he might lose his grip. He looked back to Lily and Cyril's awed expressions, "I know…" he told them, pleased to see that their 'repairs' had apparently meet with their approval.

"You haven't seen anything yet," the Hatter told the children, her eyes twinkling, "Shall we go see the kitchen now?"

…

The kitchen was just down the hallway from the living room, though it was rather less grand and smaller then the living room, though the Hatter personally felt that the room was far more comfortable and cosy, with a dining table position in the middle of the room and plates and cups on shelves around the room.

"The kitchen!" the Doctor announced as they entered, "That's a cooking, probably…" he waved his free hand across the room.

The Hatter followed his gesture and smiled fondly, "Yes, very good, sweetheart," she shook her head, amused.

He came to a stop by the sink, which had three taps, two small silver tapes and a larger golden one, "And these are taps!" he looked at the taps, gesturing to them as he spoke, "Hot, cold…lemonade," he pointed to the golden tap.

"Lemonade?" Madge questioned, confused as the children stared at the tap that had a sign over the top of it reading 'Lemonade'.

He grinned, quite proudly, "I know!"

"That was his idea," the Hatter remarked, nodding to the Doctor as she moved to press a kiss to his cheek, only making him look even smugger.

"Well, Astra helped," he said with a small shrug, smiling down at Astra, who gurgled something back to him and shoved her fist back into her mouth, somehow managing to look quite smug herself.

The Hatter shook her head fondly, looking between father and daughter, "Daddy's little girl".

…

They made their way back to the entrance hall and the Doctor brought them to a stop at the base of the stairs, "Staircase," he said brightly, lifting his foot up onto the first step when it suddenly slipped back down, almost causing the others to run into his back.

"Oh, dear," the Hatter sighed as she moved around him to eye the stairs as he pouted, "Looks like it's broken down…again," she glanced at the Doctor, "You meddled with it, didn't you?"

"I wanted to make it go faster," he muttered, his cheeks turning faintly pink.

"And I told you not to touch it," she gave him a scolding look, shaking her head, "We'll just have to walk up. Come on," she took his free hand and lightly tugged him after her, heading up the stairs with the others following behind them.

They continued up the staircase and made their way onto the landing, stepping through an archway and into another section of hallway.

"We sleep up there," the Doctor informed the humans, pointing off through an open doorway that had a second set of stairs visible through it, leading up to the attic, "Stay away," he warned them, passing by the doorway, "Beware of panthers".

"Panthers?" Madge repeated, her eyes widening slightly.

"They're terrifying, and if you wake Astra up while she's napping, that's just what the Hatter will look like…ow!" he broke off with a loud yelp, spinning back around to the Hatter, who had smacked the back of his head with a narrowed eyed look, "Holding a baby, Hatter!" he exclaimed, gesturing pointedly to Astra.

The Hatter's expression didn't waver, "Yes, now give me the baby…" she held out her arms, giving him a threatening look, "Or you'll see that panther for yourself".

The Doctor winced and quickly kissed Astra's forehead, before passing her over to the Hatter, who instantly smiled as if nothing had happened and settled Astra comfortably in her arms. He moved to continue the tour, when he noticed Cyril standing in the doorway of the second staircase, looking at it curiously.

"Cyril!" he called over his shoulder, moving on down the hallway. Cyril jumped slightly and quickly hurried after them. He passed by a couple more doors, before stopping before one and throwing it open, "Mum's room!" he announced, revealing a very large bedroom that had a large bed with a lavish blue and gold canopy over the top of it, looking just as elegant as the small living room had been, "Grown up," he grimaced slightly in distaste, looking around the room, "Your basic boring," he closed the door before Madge even had a chance to get a look at it.

Madge opened her mouth to try and protest, but the Doctor was already turning to start leading them off again. The Hatter smiled at her, "Trust me, you'll like it…" she paused, rolling her eyes, "Once you actually get a chance to see it, that is".

They made their way just down the hallway, where the Doctor reached out to grab the door handle of another bedroom, "Lily and Cyril's room!" he cheered, pushing the door open and leading the way inside the room.

The room was packed with toys, everywhere you looked was a different toy, making the room look even smaller then it probably actually was due to all the stuff jammed into it. In fact, the only space that didn't have anything in it was the middle of the room, though the Hatter couldn't help noting that there didn't seem to be any beds hidden amongst the toys and model planets that were hanging from the ceiling in one corner. Even the Time Lady had to admit that she was a little stunned as she looked around, stepping further into the room. She had left it up to the Doctor to handle the kid's bedroom, since he had been so eager about doing it himself. Apparently, she might have been wrong. Still, Astra appeared to like it, since she immediately began kicking in excitement and cooing.

The Doctor moved to stand in the middle of the room, grinning proudly as he spun back around on his heel to face them as Madge and her children moved into the room, their mouths almost hitting the floor at the sight.

"I'm going to be honest…" he began excitedly, holding out his arms, "Masterpiece! The ultimate bedroom," he started rushing around the room, pointing out different things as he went, "A science-wiencey workbench…" he pointed to where a desk had been set up on one side of the room, covered in a chemistry set, before dashing across to another side of the room, "A jungle, a maze, a _window_ disguised as a _mirror_ , a _mirror_ disguised as a _window_!" he moved across to another table, "Selection of torches for midnight feasts and secret reading. Zen cupboard, mysterious cupboard, zone of tranquillity, rubber wall, dream tank, exact model of the rest of the house. Not quite to scale," he glanced back over to the humans as he pointed at a doll house that was sitting on a table, "Apologises. Dolls!" he shouted suddenly, practically skipping across the room to show them a shelf that was full of several different dolls, all wearing different dresses, "…with comical expressions. The Magna Carta…" he picked up a pile of paper and waved it around, while the Hatter gave him a funny look, wondering why he would think to put _that_ in a child's bedroom, "A foot spa!" he continued, running across the room again, "Cluedo, a yellow fort…"

The Hatter sighed heavily, wondering just how long he could keep this up, even with his respiratory bypass system. If he had been human, she imagined he would probably be gasping for breath right about now, but he still appeared to be ready to give them a full detailed list of exactly what he had installed in the room. He was just showing-off now.

"Where are the beds?" Cyril asked, looking around the room.

"Yes, just what I was wondering, too," the Time Lady muttered, shaking her head at her husband's antics. Surely he hadn't forgotten the fact that it was a _bed_ room…oh, who was she kidding? Of course he probably did.

The Doctor's face fell slightly and he sat down the Cluedo game he had been waving around, "Well, I couldn't fit _everything_ in," he said slightly defensively, avoiding meeting the Hatter's eyes, "There had to be sacrifices. Anyway…" he brightened again and dashed back across the room, and the humans quickly moved off to the side as he grabbed a lever that was on the wall by the door, "Who needs beds when you've got…" he pulled the lever and two hammocks fell from the ceiling into the middle of the room, "Hammocks!" he grinned, glancing at Lily and Cyril as they stared at the hammocks in shock, "I know".

"Okay," the Hatter said slowly, blinking slightly as she eyed the hammocks, "That is rather impressive," she smiled at the Doctor, "Well done, sweetheart, though you might have gone a little over the top," her eyes flickered across to Madge, who looked a little overwhelmed by everything.

Cyril moved forward and tried to climb up onto one of the hammocks, but he seemed to struggle for a moment before he turned back around to them, "But how do you get on?"

"Watch and learn, kid," the Doctor gestured for him to move out of the way, and Cyril stepped back across to stand beside his mother and sister. The Doctor backed right up to the bedroom door, his eyes fixed on the hammock ahead of him.

The Time Lady gave him a small frown, shooting the hammocks a quick glance, "Um, sweetheart, maybe you…" she trailed off because the Doctor had already taken a running leap towards the hammocks, completely missing both and coming to land on the floor between the hammocks with a hard thump, sending pillows flying. She struggled hard to resist giggling, while Astra let out a loud squeal of delight, finding the whole thing hilarious, "And this is why you should _always_ listen to mummy, Astra," she said lightly, looking at Astra.

"For God's sake!" Madge cried in exasperation.

The Doctor popped back up between the still swinging hammocks, looking slightly dazed, "This hammock has developed a fault," he muttered, quite alarmed by it, too.

"Can you please stop talking?" Madge snapped, apparently reaching the end of her patients, "Can you please just _stop_!"

He picked himself up off the floor and slowly edged around the hammock, moving to stand beside the Hatter. He shifted slightly under Madge's gaze, almost looking like an ashamed child being told off by his mother, "Sorry," he said quietly.

"Children," she turned towards Lily and Cyril, "Go downstairs".

"Why?" Lily asked at once, frowning.

"Are we leaving?" Cyril questioned.

"Yes!" she said, before shaking her head, "No…" she frowned, blinking rapidly for a moment, almost looking close to tears as the Hatter eyed her closely, "I don't know. Just please…go downstairs!"

Lily gave her an annoyed look, "You don't need to shut," she said softly, moving passed her to pull the door open and step out into the hallway, Cyril trailing behind her, closing the door behind them.

Madge looked away for a long moment, seeming to be composing herself as she waited for Cyril and Lily's footsteps to fade before turning towards the Time Lords, "Why are you doing all this?" she frowned, eyeing them suspiciously.

The Doctor glanced at the Hatter briefly, who gave him a small nod, "We're just…" he paused, thinking quickly. He didn't quite want to reveal that he was just returning the favour for her kindness, that seemed like it would lead to too many questions that he wasn't sure exactly how they would answer or explain right now, especially when they were still trying to keep a low profile, "Trying to take care of things," he finally said, shrugging slightly with a small smile, "I'm the caretaker and she's the housekeeper," he nodded over to the Time Lady.

"That's not what caretakers or housekeepers do," she shook her head.

"Isn't it?" the Hatter asked pleasantly, adjusting Astra in her arms, "Then why do they call them _care_ takers? Or house _keepers_?"

She opened her mouth before she stopped herself, taking a deep breath, "Their father's dead".

The brunet blinked in surprise, quickly looking at the Doctor, who looked just as startled as she did. She swallowed and turned back to Madge, tightening her hold on Astra, "We're so, _so_ sorry," she told her sincerely, feeling the Doctor place his hand on her lower back, "We didn't know".

"Lily and Cyril's father, my husband, is dead and they don't know yet, because if I tell them now, then Christmas will always be what took their father away from them, and no one should have to live like that. Of course, when the Christmas period is over, I shall…" she broke off briefly, swallowing hard as she looked down at the floor, "I don't know why I keep shouting at them".

The Hatter, without a word, turned to the Doctor and passed Astra into his arms, before stepping across to Madge, "You shout because your heart breaks every single time you look at them," she said gently, reaching out a hand to lightly touch her arm, making Madge blink and look back up to her. She sighed, "You see them smiling and laughing, their happiness and ignorance to the pain that will very soon follow, and the thought of having to take all of that away from them is like being stabbed in the heart. Nothing in this Universe is more important to a mother then their child's happiness and to know that very soon you'll have to take that away from them…how could it possibly not destroy you inside?"

"Mother!" Lily's voice rang out, making Madge start slightly, though she didn't take her eyes off the Hatter's, "Come and see!"

"Mother, you've _got_ to see this!" Cyril called in amazement, "Come on!"

"Because what's the point of them being happy _now_ if they're going to be sad _later_ ," the Doctor added softly, tightening his hold on Astra, who was surprisingly being very still and quiet right now.

"Mother!" Cyril shouted again.

"Mother!" Lily's voice followed, sounding excited, "Are you coming?"

"The answer is, of course," the Doctor continued, looking sadly at Madge, "Because they are going to be sad later," he glanced down at Astra in his arms and swallowed, trying hard to give her a little smile as Astra's eyes meet his, and he cleared his throat and looked back up to Madge, reaching out to take the Hatter's hand, "Now, we'd better get downstairs," he moved forward, lightly tugging the Hatter along with him, "I think they may have found the main sitting room".

"Mother!" Cyril yelled again.

The Hatter gave Madge an encouraging smile, truly feeling her hearts go out to the woman. The idea of having to tell Astra something like that…she didn't know how she would do it without the Doctor there beside her. The idea of having to one day tell Astra about what happened to Gallifrey, to her older half-brother's and sisters that she'll never be able to meet. The thought of having to one day tell her what her and the Doctor's roles had been during the Time War was something that kept her up at night. She couldn't bear the thought of Astra resenting them, but she knew that one day, they would have to tell her the full story, she only hoped they wouldn't end up losing their daughter as a result.

"Come on, Madge," she said gently, trying to clear her thoughts, reaching out to open the bedroom door, since the Doctor had his arms full, "We…er, improved the living room a little bit," she gave her a wink, "Don't worry, this time I helped".

Madge didn't seem to feel very reassured by that, giving both Time Lords a long, skeptical look as she moved to walk out the door that the Hatter was holding open for her. The Hatter watched her go and sighed grimly, looking back to the Doctor, who looked rather troubled himself.

"Promise me, Doctor," the Hatter looked at him seriously, keeping her voice low, "Promise me we will never be placed in that position where we have to look our daughter in the eye and tell her that…" she hesitated, briefly closing her eyes, "That one of us isn't coming back to her. Promise me".

The Doctor squeezed her hand, nodding firmly, his features determined, "I swear," he promised at once, looking down to Astra, "She'll never have to experience that sort of pain".

She looked at Astra too; her hearts melting at the sight of her daughter snuggled against his chest, alive and safe, in their arms again. She knew that making such a promise was probably foolish, considering their lifestyles and how many dangers that they faced, but she needed to hear those words spoken aloud. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Astra's chubby cheek, making the baby squirm slightly and knocked the Time Lady's hat askew with her fist, but she didn't care and simply smiled softly as she pulled away, reaching up to quickly kissing the Doctor.

"We…uh…" the Doctor coughed slightly as they pulled away, his cheeks pink as he shifted Astra slightly in his arms, "Should probably get down stairs, dear".

The Hatter nodded quickly, straightening her hat, "Yes, we'd better".

They left the room and made their way back through the hallways, heading down the sweeping staircase and in through the doorway that came off to the right of the entrance hall, immediately finding Mange standing in shock in the middle of the large room, staring at the large Christmas tree that had been placed at the back of the room, decorated with brightly coloured streamers and bubbles that glittered in the light. There was even a train track that ran around the middle of the tree on a track, whistling and emitting little puffs of steam, while several other tracks spun around and around the tree, some with rockets on it and others with airplanes. There was even a present partly beneath the tree, covered in dark blue wrapping paper with a silver ribbon tied around it. As the Doctor and the Hatter stepped into the room, the children turned around to them, their eyes wide with delight and wonder.

"We know," the Doctor and the Hatter said in unison, grinning at them. Astra squealed happily in the Doctor's arms, making him laugh and bounce her slightly.

"Look at that present!" Cyril exclaimed as he spun back around. He and Lily ran forward, grabbing the tag that was sitting on top of the massive box, turning it over to read it, "It's for me".

Lily grabbed the tag, "No, it says it's for _all_ of us," she corrected him, reading the tag, while the Doctor and the Hatter watched fondly.

"I'm the youngest. I get to open it first".

She ignored him, frowning at the tag, "Doesn't say who it's from," she remarked, and the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, silently nodding in agreement as they slowly began to back out of the door behind them. Lily turned back towards Madge, "Mother, who left this here?"

The Doctor and the Hatter had already disappeared, just as Madge opened her mouth and turned towards the door, leaving the small family to their own devices. The Doctor and the Hatter still had a few things left to take care of.

…

Night had fallen and the Doctor and the Hatter were busy fiddling with wires up in the attic, tucked away inside their so called 'room' that they had warned the humans against going near. They had set up a table that was covered in wires, the Doctor busy flashing his sonic at different pieces of wiring while the Hatter sat on a chair beside him, her tongue slightly sticking out as she concentred on stripping a wire, absently using her foot to move a pram backwards and forwards as she worked, Astra peacefully sleeping despite all the noise they were making in her rather heavily modified pram, apparently not the slightest bit bothered by the sparking coming from the wires or the noise of the sonic screwdriver whirring. The TARDIS was parked behind them at the back of the attic, fitting perfectly beneath the eaves.

The attic door creaked slightly and they paused in their work, looking up to see Lily creeping into the room in her nightie and dressing gown. She gave them a smile as she approached them, "Are you going to turn into a panther?" she asked the Hatter, casting the pram a quick look.

The Hatter smiled slightly, "Cheeky," she said approvingly, pointing a finger at her, earning a bigger grin from the girl, "No, it's all safe here," she shook her head, looking fondly into the pram to see Astra snoozing away, a pink blanket wrapped around her, "If this noise won't wake her, nothing will".

"Famous last words, dear," the Doctor commented, casting Astra a quick, slightly wary look, when the wire he was working on sparked and he flinched.

Lily focused on the TARDIS, looking at it curiously, "Why have you got a phone box in your room?"

He jumped slightly as something else sparked, making the Hatter shake her head fondly, "It's not a phone box, it's our…" he hesitated, thinking very quickly as he pointed back towards the time machine, "…wardrobe. We've just painted it to _look_ like a phone box".

"It's…art," the Hatter added with a hasty smile, trying hard to sound believable.

Lily gave them a funny look before her eyes came to land of the mess of wires sitting half-draped across both of their laps and on the table, all seeming to be leading back into the so called 'wardrobe,' "Well, what are you doing?" she eyed the wires.

"Rewiring," the Doctor replied, shrugging as he went back to fiddling with the wires.

"Why would you rewire a wardrobe?"

He gave her a little smile, "Have you seen the way we dress?" he said playfully, lightly nudging the Hatter's side.

Lily smiled slightly, though she was still eyeing them closely, "Who are you?" she asked, walking closer to them, " _Really_ , who are you?"

The Hatter went to open her mouth, just as a small beeping noise and a flashing blue light emitted from the mess of wires she was holding, instantly making her frown, "Lily…" she began slowly, glancing back across to the girl, "I don't suppose you know where Cyril might be?"

"In bed, sleeping".

The Doctor leaned closer to the Hatter, looking at the still flashing blue light and faint beeping, "You sure about that?" he looked back over to Lily.

"Perhaps you ought to go and check on him," the Hatter suggested, still frowning as she held the wires closer to her face, examining them closely. Lily sighed heavily and turned on her heel, heading for the attic door as she disappeared outside. The Hatter slowly lowered the wires back into her lap, watching as the light continued to flash, "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all," she remarked to the Doctor.

"I'm sure it's fine," the Doctor shook his head, though he couldn't stop his eyes from lingering on that flashing blue light.

She glanced at him, rolling her eyes, "That would be a lot more believable if you didn't look so concerned, sweetheart".

"I'm not concerned, I'm just…" he trailed off, sighing as he realised that he really couldn't fool her, not about this, "Oh, alright. I might be a tiny bit concerned, but _only_ because I don't want the surprise to be ruined before tomorrow," he said quickly, pointing the sonic screwdriver at her with a smile.

The Hatter smiled and lightly battered the sonic screwdriver away from her face, knowing just what he meant, just as the attic door opened again and Lily walked back inside the room.

"Still in bed," she told them, sounding bored, "Asleep".

"Okay," the Doctor nodded, brightening slightly as he looked back to the Hatter, "Faulty, then, dear".

"I'll do a few more adjustments," the Hatter said with a shrug, feeling better to know that their surprise for the children hadn't been ruined. She and the Doctor had worked hard coming up with that idea and she had been very much looking forward to seeing the look on Cyril, Lily, and Astra's faces tomorrow when they got to see what they had planned, not even Astra knew, since they had worked on it while the baby had been sleeping. She absently held out her hand to the Doctor, who passed her the sonic screwdriver, watching as she flashed it towards the wires, but when the light continued flashing and the beeping grew louder, they both frowned, "That's not right," she looked back up to the Doctor, "That's not right at all".

The Doctor looked over to Lily, eyeing her carefully, "You're _sure_ he's still in bed?"

" _Yes_ ," Lily said firmly.

The Time Lady looked back to the blinking light, not convinced, "I think we'd better go and check for ourselves," she commented to the Doctor, holding the sonic screwdriver out towards him to take.

The Doctor took the device, casting the pram with Astra still sleeping in it a look, "What about…?"

"I'm sure it will be okay," she cut across him, moving the wires off her lap and rising from her chair, moving to carefully remove the capsule that sat on top of the pram with Astra still sleeping peacefully inside it. The baby didn't even stir when the Hatter disconnected the capsule from the pram with a couple of small clinks, leaving just the base of the pram behind as she followed after Lily and the Doctor as they made for the attic door, slipping back down the narrow staircase and down the hallway to the children's bedroom.

The Doctor quietly pushed the door open as the three of them gathered around the doorway, peering into the dark room to see a figure lying beneath a thick blanket of one of the hammocks, their head hidden by the blankets.

"See?" Lily whispered to them, waving a hand towards the hammock.

"Shush!" he quickly hushed her, pressing a finger against his mouth, eyeing the figure beneath the blankets as he silently began to creep towards the hammock, ducking beneath Lily's empty one as he went, all the while the Hatter desperately hoped that Astra remained asleep as she watched him. He reached the hammock and grabbed the edge of the blanket, whipping it back to reveal teddy bears and pillows had been positioned beneath the covers to make it _look_ like someone was under the blankets, "Oh, he's good," he said softly, turning back to around to face the doorway, "The old bear and duvet, eh? Classic".

The Hatter bit her lip, "If Cyril's not sleeping, then that means…" she meet the Doctor's eyes and groaned, turning on her heel and dashing out of the room, being mindful about the fact that she was carrying Astra in the capsule, while the Doctor and Lily hurried along behind her.

They bolted down the hallway and around a corner, neither of them thinking about accidently waking Madge up as they went, dashing down the main staircase and across to the main living room door. They pulled the door open and ran into the room, just in time to see Cyril's hand reaching out of the massive present that he had apparently opened, grabbing for his torch, before he disappeared completely inside the box.

"Cyril!" the Doctor called as they ran forward, dropping to their knees as they reached the opening of the present.

"What's happening?" Lily asked in confusion, hurrying along behind them, stopping at the entrance to the box, "I don't…" she trailed off, her eyes widening as the Doctor dived straight into the box and disappeared, while the Hatter crawled in after him, pushing the pram's capsule ahead of her for the Doctor to take on the other side, "What is that?" she gasped, staring at the box in shock.

"Come along, Lily!" the Hatter told her, reaching out a hand from the other side of the box towards her, "Quickly! Take my hand," she broke into a grin as Lily, still looking stunned, took her hand, "That's it, come on!" she lightly tugged the girl into the box, just as Astra seemed to wake up as the cold air hit her face, making the baby cry loudly as the Doctor quickly tried to sooth her. The Time Lady reached out to Lily and helped pull her closer to the edge of the box, helping her to jump down onto the snow covered ground of the forest that they had just found themselves standing inside, "It's a little cold, I know, but you'll warm up soon enough".

Lily hardly seemed to hear her, her mouth hanging open as she took in the sight of the frozen, impossible forest that they had somehow been transported to through the back of the box. Thick, white snow covered the ground and the massive pine trees that surrounded the clearing that they now stood in, a faint mist hanging in the chilly air.

"I'm sorry, Astra," the Doctor muttered as he placed the baby capsule down on the ground and crouched down, trying to snuggle the blanket around her as she squirmed and cried, not liking the rude awakening, "I know it's a bit cold, just need to warm you up…"

The Hatter knelt beside him, already pulling a extra blanket from her pocket, this time a bright yellow one and a small pair of mittens and a pink beanie, "Shh, darling," she said gently, quickly fitting Astra with the warmer clothing and extra blanket, "This will help".

Astra looked up at them, giving them the closest thing to a glare that the Time Lady thought a baby was capable of giving them, her arms and legs firmly swaddled by the blanket, leaving just her face visible beneath the edge of the beanie. The Doctor glanced at the Hatter, looking quite wary.

"I think she's got your glare," he muttered.

The Time Lady winced slightly, "Now I understand why people say I'm scary when I'm cross," she sighed, shaking her head as she reached out to pick up the handle of the baby capsule, fixing Astra with a stern look as she straightened, ignoring the dampness of the snow on her tights, "You, young lady, can glare all you want at us, but you're just going to have to get used to a bit of cold because we have important matters that need to be dealt with".

The Doctor also rose and looked around quickly, remembering why they were in the forest in the first place, "Cyril!" he called through the trees, turning around on the spot, "Cyril!"

"Doctor," the Hatter grabbed his arm with her free hand, pulling him over to where she had spotted something sitting on the snow a short distance away from them. They neared the object and crouched down, the Doctor pulling a torch out of his pocket and flashing it at the objet, which appeared to be a large silver egg that had hatched.

"Where are we?" Lily asked from behind them, staring around in wonder and confusion, moving closer to them.

"In a forest, in a box, in a sitting room…" the Doctor replied absently, looking back up to her from the egg, "Pay attention".

The Hatter carefully eyed the egg as she stood, lifting the baby capsule up with her, "At a rough estimate, I'd say that Cyril's about twenty to twenty five minutes ahead of us," she determined, looking around at the trees surrounding them.

"But we just saw him," Lily pointed out, frowning at them.

She shook her head, moving forward as the Doctor stood and began making his way around a nearby tree, using the torch to light up the snow, "Time works differently once you've crossed into another dimension," she informed her, focusing on the ground, trying to find any sign of where Cyril might have gone.

The Doctor jumped out from between two trees, frowning back at Lily, "What do they teach you in schools these days?" he gave her a strange look, as if she ought to have already have known such information.

"Doctor," the Time Lady scolded lightly, throwing him a quick look, setting off again as the Doctor caught up to her, taking her hand.

"But I don't understand where we are?" Lily trailed behind them, looking completely baffled as she stared around.

The Doctor came to a stop and spun back around to face her, making the Hatter do the same, "We've gone through a dimensional portal…thingy…" he trailed off, unable to come up with another way to put it as he tried making a square shape with his free hand.

The Hatter gave him a small, amused smile, "Nicely put, sweetheart".

Lily blinked at him; still just as confused as before, "Well, what's that supposed to be?" she held out her hands, looking around, "Where did it come from?"

"It was supposed to be a Christmas present," the Time Lady sighed, shrugging slightly, "We just thought it would be something fun for you kids to enjoy".

"It wasn't supposed to be opened till Christmas Day," the Doctor added, giving Lily a scolding look, slightly annoyed, "Honestly, who opens their Christmas presents early?" Lily gave him a guilty smile as the Hatter cleared her throat, even Astra gargled. He smiled faintly, his annoyance fading as he looked around at them all, "Okay," he shifted on the spot, "Shut up. Everyone".

The Hatter laughed, quickly kissing his cheek, "Come on," she said fondly, lightly tugging his hand as she turned and began to lead the way on through the forest, Lily hurrying along after them as a faint breeze ruffled the trees around them.

Silence settled over the small group as they continued on through the trees, ducking and weaving branches as they went, the chill in the air hardly bothering them, even Astra seemed to have forgiven them after her previous annoyance over being woken and appeared to be enjoying watching the glimpses of the trees that they passed from within the capsule.

"I don't understand," Lily said after several minutes of walking, looking around curiously as they continued deeper into the forest, "Is this place real, or is it fairyland?"

"Fairyland?" the Doctor repeated, bringing them to a stop to look at her, "Oh, grow up, Lily," he shook his head and continued walking, "Fairyland looks completely different".

The Hatter glanced back to Lily, giving her a small smile, "In other worse, yes, this is _very_ real but not fairyland, no," she said to her, shaking her head as Astra gargled something, "Yes, darling, we'll be sure to take you to Fairyland sometime…" she paused, frowning slightly as she looked down at Astra, "Though, perhaps when you're a good century or two older. We don't want the Fairies getting any ideas about stealing you away, my darling".

"We've been through that enough," the Doctor muttered with a dark expression briefly crossing his face, thinking about those two hundred years without Astra. He gave himself a sharp shake as the Hatter shot him a concerned look, reminding himself to focus back onto the task at hand, "Now, these are Cyril's footprints," he remarked as he knelt down on the ground, flashing his torch over the set of footsteps imprinted into the snow, "And these are the ones he was following…" he turned the beam of light onto the second set of prints, the second set much bigger then Cyril's, "Notice anything?" he glanced at Lily, who moved to kneel beside him, looking at the prints.

"The other prints are getting bigger".

"They are, indeed," the Hatter nodded, frowning faintly as she looked at the snow ahead of them, eyeing how the two sets of footsteps continued ahead of them, "It would seem that whatever it is that Cyril's following, it's growing," she looked back to the Doctor, starting to feel quite concerned, "And quickly".

Lily's eyes winded and she jumped onto her feet, "Well, we have to get after him!" she exclaimed, running off in the direction that the footsteps were going, but in her hast she ran passed the branches of a tree, sending snow flying. She stopped and looked back; only to blink in alarm as she watched a silvery, bauble-like orb literally growing from two of the branches she had just ran into, dangling like ice drops.

"It's okay, Lily," the Time Lady assured her quickly, seeing the look of apprehension crossing her face. She and the Doctor moved closer to the tree, "Everything is just fine, don't fear," she stepped closer to the girl, holding up a consoling hand as Astra tried to get a better look at the funny bauble as they passed by the tree.

Lily stared at the tree, pointing at it, "Is that tree…alive?"

"Of course it's alive," the Doctor smiled, looking at the branches, "It's a _tree_ ".

"But is it dangerous?"

He shrugged, not seeming to be overly concerned, "Every rose has its thorns," he said lightly, and Astra gargled, making both Time Lords look at her, "Oh, you want to have a look, my little star?" his smile widened.

The Hatter shook her head fondly, holding out the capsule for him to take, which he did and lifted it up, giving Astra a clear view of the silver baubles, "So curious," she murmured as she watched, though she was very proud of the fact…just as she was also quite worried about just how much trouble Astra could end up getting into with the curiosity of herself and the Doctor.

Lily, seeming a bit more reassured now that she had seen the Doctor allowing Astra to get a better look at the baubles, edged closer to the tree, "They're like Christmas tree decorations," she commented, holding her hand out towards the bauble, though she wasn't quite touching it.

"Well spotted," the Time Lady flashed her a broad smile, leaning in closer to the tree herself, examining the bauble curiously, "Yes, _very_ much like Christmas tree decorations, only they're organic. The tree has literally sprouted them".

"How cool is that?" the Doctor laughed, leaning closer to the tree and sniffing the branch, getting a bit of snow stuck to the tip of his nose. He looked down to Astra, "Hey?" he reached into the capsule, lightly touching her chubby cheek, "What do you think about that?"

Astra cooed something, apparently agreeing completely with him.

The Hatter smiled, "Oh, she is _so_ our daughter," she smirked, and reached up to lightly brush the snow off his nose with a fond shake of her head.

Lily frowned, eyeing the tree, "But I still don't understand…" she began, confused.

"It's a big Universe," the Doctor remarked with a shrug, pulling his eyes off Astra to look over to Lily, "Everything happens _somewhere_ ," he turned and began to start walking again, carrying the baby capsule as he went, "Call it a coincidence. Call it an idea echoing among the stars…" he broke into a grin as he glanced at the Hatter, "Personally, I call it a brilliant idea for a Christmas trip…"

"Well, that was the original plan," the Time Lady sighed slightly, casting her eyes around the forest, "Didn't quite work out, but that's nothing new…" she trailed off with a frown crossing her face, looking up at the sky as a faint breeze drifted through the air around them, sending little snowflakes swirling into the air. It sounded…almost like a voice was whispering through the wind, if you listened very carefully, "Doctor," she said quietly, "Do you…?"

"Yes," he nodded, looking up at the swirling snowflakes, too. He tightened his grip of the baby capsule, "Lily, do you know the difference between wind and trees talking to each other?"

"What?" Lily asked, looking at him.

The Hatter licked the tip of her finger and held it up in the air, feeling for the wind, "There's isn't any wind," she said quietly, frowning deeply as she lowered her finger, wiping it absently on her top, "This isn't normal, not for this planet," she meet the Doctor's eyes, exchanging a concerned look, "We've come here several times over the centuries, together and separately, but not once have I ever seen the forest so…active. Doctor?"

"No, neither have I," he agreed warily, watching the snowflakes still fluttering and swirling through the air, moving without the aid of any wind. That was troubling enough to imagine, "Something's wrong," he slowly turned around, eyeing the trees, "What are you doing? What are you up to?" he stepped closer to the tree and leaned down to look at his own reflection staring back at him on the silvery surface of one of the baubles, when his reflection suddenly morphed into an image of a wooden man with a crown. He jerked back, putting the baby capsule protectively behind him as his head snapped up to the Hatter, both looking extremely alarmed, "I'm sorry, Lily, Astra, I really am, but there is something very wrong in this forest," he breathed, staring around, growing tense.

The Time Lady reached out and took Lily's hand, squeezing it comfortingly as the girl looked startled, "We don't mean to frighten you," she told her gently, feeling her hearts starting to beat faster, "But you need to be warned…" she paused, swallowing as she forced herself to look at Lily's face, "And it's more important than ever that we find Cyril because he's right in the middle of whatever's going on here," she looked back to the Doctor as Lily's eyes widened worriedly for her brother, "We need to keep moving. The sooner we can find Cyril, the faster we can get out of here".

The Doctor nodded in agreement, more than happy with the idea of leaving this forest while something very, very wrong was going on. They not only had Astra here possibly in danger, but Lily and Cyril, too. He tightened his grip on the baby capsule and began to lead the way through the trees once more, following the footprints in the snow, the second set of prints getting bigger and sinking deep into the snow the further they walked.

"Why would you bring us to this place?" Lily demanded as she moved with them, still holding the Hatter's hand.

"It was supposed to be a treat," the Doctor replied, shrugging as he used his torch to cast a beam of light over the footsteps ahead of them, "This is one of the safest planets we know…"

"Which is relatively rare, in our experience," the Time Lady cut in with a small sigh, looking around at the trees as they passed them, "But this place…well, nothing awful or dangerous has ever happened here…" she trailed off as a loud thump sounded in the distance, making the ground beneath them shake as they froze on the spot, even Astra seemed to still. She winced as Lily and the Doctor looked at her, alarmed, "Sorry…I seriously need to think before opening my mouth sometimes…" she muttered, inwardly cursing herself.

The Doctor gave her a look, "And you tell _me_ off for jinxing things".

She blushed slightly, clearing her throat, "Shut up".

He broke into a grin, "Never".

"Chatter-box".

"Flirt!"

The Hatter shook her head fondly, moving to press a quick kiss to his cheek, "Adorable idiot," she shot back as she pulled back, reaching up to lightly pat his cheek that she had just kissed.

His grin softened, watching her with warm, gentle eyes, "My dearest".

She couldn't help the wide smile that crossed her lips at that, nor could she stop the faint blush from creeping up her neck again, not while he was watching her with that tender, completely sincere expression on his face that made her hearts melt. How many times over the centuries had she witnessed that look without paying it any mind? And now, even after all those centuries, everything that they had both gone through together and apart, he still looked at her like that. She supposed that a part of her would probably always believe that she wasn't deserving of his absolute love and devotion, not after what she had done to him during those final days of the Time War, but that was who the Doctor was and it was one of the reasons for why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. He gave his all to everything that he did, that's why when he was hurt it was as if his whole Universe was being torn apart and she couldn't help admiring how willing he was to do that, even despite all the hurt and pain he had suffered throughout his life, but that was who he was. That was one of the things that made him the Doctor.

"We…um, probably should keep going," she coughed and gestured towards the footprints leading off through the trees ahead of them, trying to force herself to focus and remind herself of the fact that they still had Cyril out there, possibly in grave danger, while Lily and Astra were also in possibly just as much danger. They needed to find Cyril and get the children out of this forest, because whatever was going on, she really wasn't keen with the idea of having innocent and defenceless children anywhere near it. Keeping the children safe was their main concern right now, she and the Doctor could figure out what was going on once they were all safe, but they had to find Cyril first.

The Doctor blinked slightly, apparently having also have gotten a little caught up in the moment of everything, too, "Yes," he said quickly, nodding as he glanced at Lily, who was eyeing them with a frown, and then to Astra in the baby capsule, his expression growing determined, "Yes, let's keep moving".

They set off again, following the footprints in the snow, ducking and weaving through trees as they went.

"It's just irresponsible, taking us on a trip like this," Lily huffed from behind them as they moved between two trees that were growing closely together, "How can you do this to my brother?"

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," the Hatter sighed, looking back over her shoulder to her, narrowly avoiding getting smacked in the face with a low hanging branch. She shielded her face from any more near misses, "We would have been with you, keeping a watch on everything. It's not like we were just going to let your run _free_ ".

"To the future?" she frowned at her back, jogging slightly to keep up with their longer legs.

"Future, yes," the Doctor agreed, holding the baby capsule up to his chest, trying to avoid accidently knocking snow or pine needles onto Astra as they hurried along.

"The future on a different planet?"

"Oh yes," he nodded, exchanging a brief look with the Hatter, " _Very_ different".

"Where Christmas trees _just_ happen?"

"Well, sort of Christmas trees. They're not _really_ Christmas trees…"

They made their way out of the thickly growing trees and suddenly found themselves stepping into a very large clearing that was a perfect circle, while in the heart of the clearing stood a huge tower that loomed high above them as they stopped, staring up at it in shock and amazement, a glass sphere right on top of the tower with a number of white coloured glass panes on it in triangles.

"Blimey…" the Hatter breathed, her eyes widening as she took in the tower, certainly not having expected to have stumbled across this in the middle of a forest. It reminded her a little bit of a fairytale…hopefully one with a more cheerful ending then one of the Brother Grimm's ones.

"Oh, look at that!" the Doctor cheered, his eyes lighting up at the sight, "Astra, have a look at this!" he excitedly turned the baby capsule around, trying to give Astra a good view of the tower.

Astra cooed something, kicking excitedly at the sight.

"Very impressive, indeed," the Hatter smiled fondly, "Though, I'm not sure if we'll find a princess at the top. Hopefully a young, very curious prince," she said with a small sigh, catching sight of the footsteps leading directly into the double doors at the base of the tower. She looked at the Doctor, "Come on, sweetheart, that's enough admiring the architecture," she turned and started jogging towards the door, the Doctor quickly hurrying along just behind her.

"What, are we going _in_?" Lily asked as she ran after them, slowed slightly by the thick snow.

"Cyril did," the Doctor called back to her with a shrug, not slowing his pace as they continued running towards the door, still not entirely sure just what they might find behind that door.

 _ **Ah, so it would seem that even Time Lords have difficulty juggling parenthood and their work…or adventures, in this case. I wonder if it will get easier once Astra starts walking or worse? Probably a bit of both. Next chapter, old friends return, will the Hatter be considered to be strong? And can Astra see something that Cyril and Lily can't? I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **Sam Fraser:**_ _ **I just looked him up as I began writing this reply, but I think I'll have to go back and look at the information more when I'm less distracted, (I just got a new Sims 4 game, so all I can think about right now is cats and dogs!), but I'm grateful for your suggestions. You seem to be quite knowledgeable in regards to different writings in regards to JFK's death, something I know very little about, aside from the basics surrounding his death. We don't learn about that in the Australian school system, mostly just World War I and what our role in it was, so I'm finding learning more about JFK to be very interesting. Thank you :)**_

 _ **Teo7121941:**_ _ **Thank you for the suggestion, I looked up the author and had a quick look at some of their stories, but I must confess that most of the stories I read are OC based, when I manage to find a story that I really enjoy, that is, since I'm quite picky. I'm not entirely sure if I would feel comfortable reading another story and then taking inspiration from it, but I see where you're coming from and thank you again for the suggestion :)**_

 _ **Guest (1):**_ _ **I don't think that the First Doctor will be surprised to see the Hatter there with his future self; he believes that he'll one day be with her and pluck up the courage to tell her his feelings, so I don't think that seeing her with his future self will shock him at all. I think he will be proud of her for leaving Gallifrey, though he'll likely be sad to hear how long it took for her and his future self to start travelling together and be romantically involved. As for what the Hatter will think, she'll be thrilled. This is**_ _ **her**_ _ **Doctor, the one she grew up alongside, that makes him different from all the other versions of himself, so I think this meeting will probably be the one she would be happiest about.**_

 _ **Guest (2):**_ _ **If the Hatter had never meet the Doctor, I think that she would have likely have spent most of her childhood very lonely, buried in books and research, likely growing very socially awkward and uncomfortable around others. I don't think she would have handled becoming a mother very well and probably would have only have had one child, her eldest son, simply for the contusion of her husband's family line. I think that her son would have been the one and only thing that brought her joy in her life and taught her what love can be like, but I think she probably would have been smarter than the Hatter we know, simply due to her constantly working and research. Over all, I think that if the Doctor had never have come into her life, the Hatter would have been very sad and lonely person, distant and cut off from everything else, her life surrounding her son and her work on Gallifrey.**_


	33. 33Time Lords,The Widow,& The Wardrobe P2

_**The Time Lords, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, Part 2**_

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled his sonic screwdriver out, flashing it towards the front doors of the tower as they approached it, making the doors slide open. He slowed his pace as he stepped up into the threshold, silently holding the baby capsule with Astra snuggled inside it out towards the Hatter, who took it, knowing that he wanted to first check that the inside of the tower was safe before entering with Astra. He stepped further through the door way, shinning his torch around as the Hatter and Lily followed behind him.

"Interesting…" he remarked, and the Hatter moved further through into the room, too, knowing that if there had been anything that he felt might be harmful, that he would have said something…well, she hoped so. They were still trying to get in the hang of looking at everything with the mindset of parents, rather than mad, carefree adventures. She personally felt like she had the hang of it…the Doctor, well, he might need a little reminding from time to time, though she knew that he would never, _ever_ allow Astra to be placed in harm, not ever.

"Oh, yes, _very_ interesting," the Hatter said as she looked around the circular room, the floor seeming to be covered in bits of plant matter and wood chips, while a staircase ran around and around in a massive spiral around the walls, leading all the way up to, she assumed, the top of the tower. She frowned slightly as her eyes landed on a large wooden throne that seemed to have been carved out of wood, sitting directly in the middle of the room with a wooden figure sitting on it with a carved wooden crown. She tightened her grip of the handle of the baby capsule, noticing that the footsteps seemed to stop right at the base of the wooden throne, "And possibly a little troubling…" she eyed the wooden figure carefully as the doors closed behind them, the Doctor moving to stand slightly in front of her and Astra, eyes fixed on the throne, too.

"What's that?" Lily pointed at the throne, staring at it with a mixture of confusion and wariness, "Is that a statue?" she slowly stepped closer to it, "What is it? It's like a King".

The Doctor lifted his torch up, lighting up the throne and wooden figure, "A King, possibly," he said softly, looking at it closely, "But not a statue," he turned the beam of light down onto the footprints on the floor, "Look at the floor. This is what Cyril was following. The growing thing," he turned the torchlight back onto the wooden figure, "Hatched from a bauble on a tree".

The Hatter eyed the figure closely, though she still kept a good three feet away from it with her hand firmly grasping the handle of the baby capsule, "It's quite impressive," she commented, "This…being grew from that small egg into this in less than an hour, and that's not even mentioning this tower," she turned her gaze from the throne to the structure they were standing in, "This whole building, it's not even a building, it's actually many, many trees grown together into the _shape_ of a building".

"Trees disguised as a building," the Doctor grinned, growing excited as he spun around on the spot, trying to look at every inch of the building all at once, "Ooh, clever! I love clever…" the Hatter smiled fondly, watching him as he continued, "Clever old forest…" he looked up for a moment, before growing serious and turning back to Lily and the Hatter, "So, a forest grows a building. Why would it do that, Lily?" he looked across to the young girl, who looked a little overwhelmed by everything.

"I don't know," Lily shook her head, her voice soft. The Hatter gave her a mildly concerned look and moved to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Why is there honey in a honey trap?"

She frowned, looking slightly fearful, "Because it's a trap?"

"I'm afraid so," the Hatter nodded, giving her a reassuring smile, "Curiosity can be a dangerous thing at times, but don't worry," she pattered her arm.

Lily's eyes widened, apparently not listening to the Time Lady's advice to not worry, "So this is a trap?" she looked quickly between the Doctor and the Hatter, "What, we've just walked into a trap?"

"A people trap," the Doctor said quickly, looking thoughtful as he met the Hatter's eyes, "The question is…why does a forest need people?"

Slowly, the three of them all turned to look at the wooden figure as Astra gave a small little cry.

"Shh, it's okay, my darling," the Hatter said soothingly, reaching into the capsule to place her hand over Astra's chest, since her hands were still wrapped up in her blankets, "Nothing to be frightened of, we won't let anything happen to you, Lily, or Cyril. I promise".

Lily shifted nervously, pulling her eyes off the wooden figure, "We should go," she began to move towards the door again, looking even more fearful now, "We have to get out of here".

"Except…?" the Doctor held up a finger, stopping her from taking another step, turning his attention back onto the throne.

"Except Cyril was here," she said slowly.

He wordlessly held out his hand towards her, which she took, "So let's find Cyril," he looked up towards the ceiling, where the top of the tower was, before he glanced at the Hatter.

"Let's get moving, then," the Hatter nodded to him.

He smiled faintly and turned, leading the way across to the base of the spiral staircase with Lily and the Hatter right behind him, hurrying up the stairs, jogging lightly all the way up until they _finally_ caught sight of a door ahead of them that led into the room at the top of the tower, "Cyril!" he called as they neared the door, absently handing the torch to Lily as he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, flashing it at the door, "Cyril, can you hear me?"

The Hatter moved closer, knocking on the door, hoping that Cyril might be able to open the door from the inside, "Hello, Cyril!" she tried, glancing at the Doctor as he continued trying to unlock the door, "Cyril? Can you hear us?" she frowned slightly for a moment and rolled her eyes, "Oh, I am such an idiot! Sweetheart, the doors made of _wood_ ," she half-exclaimed, lightly hitting his arm, resisting against hitting her own forehead for her own slowness. Astra, however, seemed to find it quite amusing and gave a little squeal.

He stopped and glanced at the sonic screwdriver, "Oh, of course!" he shook his head, groaning slightly as he looked back to Lily, "It's rubbish on wood!"

"It doesn't look like wood," Lily remarked, eyeing the door.

"That would be because it's _disguised_ ," the Hatter reminded her lightly, sighing slightly as the Doctor went back to trying to sonic the door, using a different setting.

"How can trees grow into a building?"

"Oh, never underestimate a tree, Lily," the Doctor told her, turning away from the door and looking at the sonic screwdriver as he spoke, "I met the Forest of Cheem once. She fancied me".

The Hatter glanced at him, her eyebrows rising, "Well, you certainly forgot to tell me about that little story".

He slowly looked back to her, his eyes wide, "Um…" he coughed, shifting slightly under her gaze, not entirely sure if she was teasing him or being serious right now. He never could tell.

She eyed him for a long moment, her expression blank of any emotion, before she suddenly broke into a smile and laughed, instantly making him relax, "Calm down, sweetheart," she shook her head, "I'm guessing this occurred while I was still very human, I'm hardly one to judge. I had a human boyfriend, remember?"

"I try not to think about that, actually," he muttered, frowning deeply as he focused his eyes back onto the sonic screwdriver, really not liking to think about another man getting his hands on his wife…even as a human and technically not even his wife at the time.

"Look at that…" Lily breathed, drawing the Time Lady's attention over to her before the Hatter had a chance to make another remark. She was staring outside a window, looking mesmerised by whatever she could see.

"Busy, actually," the Doctor glared at his sonic screwdriver, even whacking it against his hand, trying to get it to work properly, "Yes, I know its wood. Get over it!" he growled in frustration.

"There are stars," she smiled widely, still looking outside, "There are stars coming out".

"Yes, that does happen, Lily," he moved back to the door, leaning closer to it, "Cyril!" he called again through the door.

"Yes, but out of the trees," she looked back to the Time Lords, and the Doctor and the Hatter blinked at her before slowly moving to see for themselves, looking over her shoulder outside the window to see millions of tiny specks of light glittering high above the treetops all over the forest, looking quite like stars, "What is that?" she breathed, amazed as she looked back outside.

"Life force," the Hatter said quietly, smiling faintly as she looked outside. She held up the baby capsule for Astra to see, too, glancing at Astra's tiny face to see her taking it in with a look of wonder on her tiny face…or as close to wonder that a three month old baby could get, "That, Lily, is pure life force…singing".

"Beautiful. Doesn't it make you want to cry?"

"Crying when you're happy," the Doctor smiled, glancing down at her, "Good for you," he placed his hands on her shoulders, glancing at the Hatter, "That's _so_ human".

"Such a magical thing," the Time Lady murmured, just as there was a loud whooshing noise and a golden light suddenly appeared through the gaps of the door, making them spin away from the window.

"What's that?" Lily gasped, rushing towards the door as the Doctor and the Hatter moved towards it, frowning deeply, "What is it?" she looked urgently between them, "Tell me what?"

"Cyril!" the Doctor shouted through the door, banging his open palm against the doors surface, "Cyril, can you hear me?"

The Hatter froze, her eyes widening as she heard the distant sound of footsteps thumping heavily from somewhere below them, "Sweetheart," she grabbed his arm, looking quite nervous, "Can you hear that?"

Slowly, all three of them turned to face the stairs that they had just climbed up, the footsteps growing louder as they listened, knowing that it could only be one thing: the wooden King that had been on the throne. Astra squirmed in her blankets and the Hatter absently reached into the capsule, placing a soothing hand on her chest, not taking her eyes off the top of the stairs.

"Oh my God," Lily breathed weakly, edging closer to the Time Lords, "Oh my God…"

The Doctor spun back around and began frantically trying to use the sonic screwdriver to open the door, regardless of how useless it was trying on a wooden door. They couldn't stay out here any longer, none of them could possibly know exactly what this wooden King might want or intended to do with them, and he wasn't going to risk the children or the Hatter for the slightest chance that the King might be dangerous. The Hatter reached out and placed a hand on Lily, moving her protectively closer to her side, keeping her eyes fixed on the top of the stairs.

"It's going to be alright," she tried to comfort the frightened girl, rubbing her arm soothingly, "Everything is going to be okay, I promise and I _always_ keep my promises".

"It's coming!" Lily said urgently, apparently not feeling calmed in the slightest bit, "Open it!" she cried at the Doctor.

"I'm trying!" the Doctor said quickly, desperately trying to get the door open, but the sonic just wasn't _working_ on the blasted wood.

"Open it!"

"I'm trying!" he groaned, when there was a grinding noise of metal against metal and the door clicked open. He blinked, leaning back slightly, looking back to the Hatter and Lily, "That wasn't me…"

"Never mind that!" the Hatter shook her head, nudging his arm, throwing a quick look over her shoulder to check that the King hadn't caught up to them yet.

Lily pushed passed both Time Lords, throwing the door open and dashing up a set of stairs, leaving the Doctor and the Hatter to hurry along behind her. They reached the top of the stairs to find themselves in a circular room with another, golden throne-like chair sitting in the middle of the room with Cyril on it, his eyes closed behind his glasses and with a golden, metal band sitting around his head, like a crown. There was another wooden figure standing behind the chair, carved wearing a long dress and a crown. Lily instantly ran to her brother's side, dropping onto her knees before him.

"What's…what's wrong with him, Caretaker?" she asked frantically as the Doctor and the Hatter leaned over the boy, the Doctor checking his pulse as the Time Lady looked pale with worry, "Is he dead?" she looked quickly between them, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's okay," the Doctor told her, "He's just unconscious".

The Hatter carefully placed the baby capsule down the floor right beside her legs, freeing both her hands so that she could reach out and place a hand on Lily's back, "He should wake up soon," she said gently, "I don't think they intended to hurt him…" she frowned slightly, glancing warily up towards the second wooden figure.

The Doctor rose, eyeing the figure, "So what are you?" he took a step closer to it, "Not a King…a Queen! The Queen Bee of the forest".

Lily looked over her shoulder, when her eyes caught sight of something through the window across the room, directly facing the throne. She stood slowly, "Look!"

The Hatter turned toward the window, frowning deeply as she eyed the glittering lights hovering in the air over the top of the forest, the lights seeming to be getting closer to the tower, "But that…well, it looks like…" she glanced quickly across to the Doctor, looking very troubled as she meet his eyes, exchanging a look.

"Like what?"

"Like the life force is leaving the forest," the Doctor finished grimly, moving closer to the window to get a better look.

Suddenly, the sound of thumping footsteps sounded behind them and the Hatter automatically grabbed the baby capsule and backed away as they all spun around, catching sight of the wooden King marching into the room, stepping towards the throne that Cyril was sitting in.

"What are they doing?" Lily cried, "Stop him!"

The Doctor reached into his pocket and whipped out his sonic screwdriver, trying to flash it at the wooden King and Queen, but it didn't seem to slow them down at all as they continued moving closer to the throne, "Annoying aliens made of wood!" he huffed in exasperation, glaring at his sonic screwdriver, "It was always going to happen, you know," he turned the sonic back onto the figures, when they came to a stop on either side of the throne, looking directly back to them, not making a single move towards Cyril.

"Okay…" the Hatter said slowly, eyeing them closely, "I think my first assumptions about them meaning no harm might have been correct," she continued, giving Lily a reassuring look, "I think they might just want to talk to us".

The wooden King and Queen looked toward Cyril, who began to stir as the golden band around his head glowed brightly with energy for a moment before his eyes opened, "They're scared," he said after a moment, and Lily ran forward in her relief to crouch before him, grabbing his hand. He looked at her, "Can't you hear them? The trees are screaming. Can't you hear?"

The Time Lords moved towards him, the Doctor flashing his sonic screwdriver at the metal band, "No," he shook his head, checking the results, "But you can," he blinked slightly in surprise, "You're connected to them".

"Why have the stars left the trees?" Lily asked, frowning as she shot the window over her shoulder a quick look.

"I think they're…" Cyril began, scrunching up his face.

"It's okay," the Hatter said comfortingly, crouching on the floor beside Lily, placing the baby capsule beside her, "You just need to concentrate. Now, what are they doing?"

He took a deep breath, "Evacuating," he said after a brief moment, "They're evacuating".

"Why?" the Doctor questioned, moving to stand beside the chair.

"They're frightened of the rain. The rain that burns".

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other sharply, not liking that response at all.

"Housekeeper, please explain," Lily said quietly, looking quickly to the Hatter, her eyes wide with fear, "I'm frightened".

The Hatter tried hard not to let her wince show as she stood, placing a hand on Lily's back as she lightly guided her back over towards the window, "You see all of those stars glittering away out there," she waved a hand towards the lights outside the window, keeping her voice level as she spoke, "Well, they're pure life force…I suppose, in a manner that you may be able to understand, they're souls," she sighed heavily, looking out at the glittering stars, "And right now they're desperately trying to escape from this planet because they believe that they're home is going to be destroyed by the 'burning' rain".

She frowned, glancing at her, "Why can't they just float up into the sky?"

"They need to travel inside a living thing," the Doctor replied, picking up the baby capsule as they looked to him from the window, "Inside Cyril," he reached into his pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver once more, still holding the baby capsule in his left hand, "You see, this…" he flashed the sonic at the metal band around Cyril's head, before checking the results, "It's not a crown, it's a relay," he lowered the device, glancing back over to Lily, "They're turning your brother into a lifeboat".

"Oh, of course!" the Hatter exclaimed, spinning on her heel as she looked around the room with new eyes, "This whole tower, it's all a part of your escape plan, isn't it?" she turned back towards the throne, only to stiffen at the sight of the wooden Queen reaching out a hand towards Cyril, "No!" she cried, lunging forward, "Don't touch him!"

The Doctor whirled back around, his eyes widening, "Don't you harm him!" he shouted in alarm, hurrying forward, "Do not touch that child!"

The Queen ignored them both, already placing its wooden hand onto Cyril's shoulder before either Time Lord could reach the throne. The metal band around Cyril's head glowed brightly with energy, "Your coming was foretold," Cyril said, but his voice was deep and distorted, clearly not his own.

The Doctor and the Hatter stopped, staring between the Queen and Cyril, realisation hitting them of just what the wooden figures intention had been.

"Oh my God, what is that?" Lily demanded urgently, looking fearfully to the Time Lords, "Why did he sound like that?"

"He's okay, Lily," the Hatter reassured her quickly, reaching out to place a soothing hand on her arm, "Don't panic, he's not being hurt in anyway, I assure you".

"Oh, hello," the Doctor looked between Cyril and the wooden Queen, his eyes resting on the Queen, "Are we lip synching now?"

"We had faith," the Queen spoke through Cyril, "Your coming was foretold".

"There's no such thing as foretelling," he shook his head, calmly walking around the wooden figures and the throne, "Trust a time traveller. Astra, I hope you're paying attention," he flashed Astra a quick smile in her capsule as he circled them, trying hard to look stern, though he failed miserably.

"We waited, and you came".

"It's a common mistake to assume something like that as 'foretelling,'" the Hatter remarked with a small shrug, rolling her eyes at the Doctor. She could already see that she was going to have to be the disciplining parent; he couldn't even look at Astra without turning to mush. She shook her head, focusing her attention back onto the Queen, eyeing it curiously, "I do have to ask, though. You've already have an escape plan and, by the looks of things, set it into motion, so why haven't you escaped?" she frowned, waving a hand around.

"The child is weak".

The Doctor looked at the Queen as the Hatter's frown deepened, "You mean he's a child".

"No, he is weak. The forest cannot live in him. But there are others".

"There certainly are," the Doctor broke into a grin, and carefully moved across to the Hatter, who automatically reached out to take the baby capsule from him, though she was still looking closely at the wooden figures. He spun back towards the throne, clapping his hands together, "And, the good thing is, I look great in a hat…not that I have _anything_ on you, dear…" he threw the Hatter a cheeky wink and gave her a little salute.

The Hatter smiled faintly, her eyes flickering briefly over to him, "And don't you forget that," she said sternly, not wanting him to get any ideas about who, in this relationship, wore a hat the best, even if she did feel that he wore a hat very, _very_ well and ought to do it far more often. Him in a hat…actually, now that she thought about it, perhaps it was best if he didn't wear a hat as often, it could be a little distracting, not that she would ever admit that to him, not ever. She didn't think she could bare the smug smirk or knowing glint in his eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded to her, giving her a little bow, which made her shake her at him in amusement and mild exasperation. He turned back to the throne and moved to kneel before Cyril, giving him a reassuring smile, "Now, Cyril, let's get this thing off, eh?" he gave him a little wink and shook back his cuffs, reaching out to grasp the band around Cyril's head.

"You are also weak," the Queen told him.

"I'm really not," he said dismissively, grasping the sides of the metal band, "Let's save a forest, eh, Cyril?" he tried lifting the band, only to find that it wouldn't budge.

"You are not the one. You are weak".

"I'm _really_ not!" he gritted his teeth, his face scrunched up as he struggled with all his strength to try and lift the metal band, his arms shaking from the sheer effort of trying to remove it from around Cyril's head. He finally managed to lift it, stumbling backwards with the metal band glowing brightly in his hands, crying out in pain as it began burning his hands, feeling like he was holding onto hot coal as he withered and squirmed around.

"Doctor!" the Hatter shouted, just as Astra began crying fearfully, distress written plainly across her face as she heard her father's yells of pain and sensed her mother's fear.

"Let go!" Lily called over the noise, her eyes wide as she watched the Doctor struggling, "Just let go! Drop it!" the Doctor fell onto his knees and the Hatter sat the baby capsule onto the ground, rushing to his side, "Let it go! Please, just drop it!"

"I can't!" he managed to get out, groaning painfully, his eyes squeezed shut in agony.

The Hatter, unable to stand seeing him in so much pain, reacted without thinking and grabbed the band out of his hands. Instantly, the glow faded and a warmth spread through her fingertips, making her blink down at it as the Doctor panted on the ground, his shoulders slumped, "Oh…interesting," she murmured, surprised as she slowly turned the band around in her fingers, eyeing it curiously, "It sort of…tickles".

" _Tickles_?" the Doctor's head snapped up, staring at her in disbelief, his eyes widening in alarm as he realised that she was actually holding the band that had felt like it was burning his hands. Even Astra had stopped crying and seemed to be trying to peer up towards her mother, curious.

"Yes, quite an odd sensation, really," the Time Lady nodded thoughtfully, not seeming to be overly concerned.

"She is strong," the Queen spoke through Cyril again, looking directly at the Hatter.

"Obviously, she's the strongest woman I know," the Doctor said with a quick glance towards the Queen as he climbed back onto his feet.

The Time Lady, however, was eyeing the Queen, "There's something we're missing still," she frowned, her eyes moving from Cyril to the Doctor, and then back down to the metal band still held in her hands, "Why am I considered any stronger then you, Doctor?" she shook her head, looking back up to him, "Personally, I would consider us to evenly matched on strength of character, physically you've always been stronger, and mentally I am stronger then you…but it doesn't make sense to me. What type of strength? What difference between us, sweetheart, is there that could make any difference with being able to save a whole forest?" she placed the band down on the armrest of the throne.

Cyril began to wake up, blinking, "Mummy?" he asked quietly, looking around for Madge, the connection between him and the band broken.

Lily cast the wooden figures a quick look before she slowly moved towards the throne, kneeling down before him, reaching out to cover his hand, "Cyril, it's alright," she said gently, "It's me. Mummy isn't here but…" she hesitated, glancing back to the Time Lords, "We're going home to her right now, aren't we, Caretaker? Housekeeper?"

The Hatter swallowed, looking between both children's expectant faces, feeling her hearts clenching painfully at the sight. All they wanted to do was go home, to see their mother again and now…she couldn't even bring herself to try and promise them that they would see Madge again because the truth was, she didn't know if that was going to happen right now. She refused to make a promise that she wasn't sure that she could keep, but seeing their faces right now, looking back to her and the Doctor, it made her wish she could, just to comfort them, even a little bit.

"I…" she began slowly, looking quickly to the Doctor, just as the sound of thunder rumbled loudly in the sky above them and they froze.

The Doctor looked up towards the dome ceiling of the tower, "No…" he said softly, reaching out to take the Hatter's hand as the sound of raindrops hitting the roof sounded throughout the room, "I don't think we are," he squeezed her hand tightly, his expression growing grim, "The rain that burns. Acid rain".

Astra started fussing, squirming in her blankets until she even managed to get her arm free. The Hatter let go of the Doctor's hand to move to kneel beside the baby capsule, reaching down to take her hand, running her thumb gently over her tiny knuckles, "We need to get out of this forest," she said firmly, looking back up to the Doctor, her face pale, "This place…" she cast her eyes around the tower, "It won't protect us long against the acid rain and once the rain get's in…" she trailed off, unable to finish that sentence.

"Where's Mummy?" Cyril asked worriedly.

"She's coming," Lily said quickly, trying hard to keep a brave face, not wanting to panic her little brother anymore then he already was, but she was struggling to keep her own fear from showing. She struggled to fix a smile onto her face as she looked at him, "You know she's coming, because…because she always comes, doesn't she?"

The Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, before the Doctor took a step closer to the throne, "Cyril," he looked at the little boy, "The way we came here. That door won't stay open forever," he tried to explain to him, "Now, I'm not even sure if we can get us through the forest safely, but if we're going to have any chance at all…we have to go _now_ ".

Cyril crossed his arms, his expression growing determined, "No," he said stubbornly, and the Hatter inwardly sighed, "We wait for Mummy. Mummy always comes".

The Hatter stood and moved towards the throne, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Cyril, please listen to us," she said gently, leaning down so that she was eye level with him, "We are in a great deal of danger right now, we have to leave this place," she licked her lips quickly as Cyril's expression didn't change in the slightest, "I promise, Cyril, you'll see your Mummy _very_ soon, but we're going to have to go to _her_ because…"

A loud thump sounded from outside, cutting her off, before another thump sounded, followed by the sound of something crunching. They all turned to look at the window, only to find a massive machine on three mechanical legs looming above the forest, moving towards them, smashing any trees in its way. It wasn't very graceful, rocking from side to side in a rather lumbering manner, as if the driver wasn't very experienced at controlling the machine.

"What's that?" Lily gasped, moving across to get a closer look out of the window with the Time Lords.

The Doctor's eyes widened, staring at the machine, "It's an Androzani Harvester, but…!" he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Blimey," the Hatter breathed, breaking into a smile, feeling the strangest urge to laugh.

Lily looked quickly back to the Doctor and the Hatter, "You _recognise_ that thing?"

"More than just the machinery…" the Time Lady shook her head, her smile turning into a full blown grin, "I'm quite certain I recognise the person _driving_ it!"

In the small window of the cockpit, only just visible from where they were standing, was Madge sitting in the pilot's seat as she controlled the machine. Cyril jumped off the throne and joined them, peering out of the window, too as the Hatter quickly hurried to grab the baby capsule, not wanting Astra to miss out on seeing something as brilliant as this.

"Ha, ha!" the Doctor cheered, laughing in delight, "Madge has entered the forest! Come on, Madge! You can do it!" he ruffled Cyril's hair, grinning as Astra made an excited cooing noise at the sight of the machine, "You go girl!"

"Oh, shut up, you ridiculous oaf!" Madge's voice came over the comms., sounding throughout the room.

"Bit rude," the Hatter shook her head, laughing slightly as Astra started kicking excitedly, almost squirming herself completely out of her blankets, "But never mind that! Come on, Madge! You're doing wonderfully, just a little bit closer!"

"You can do it!" the Doctor encouraged brightly, "You can do it! Excellent driving!"

"Caretaker!" Madge called, bringing the harvester to a stop right outside the tower, level with their window, "Housekeeper!"

"Yes?" he said happily.

"You're both fired!"

The Hatter laughed as the children giggled, while the Doctor's smile slipped slightly, "I don't blame you, Madge!" she grinned, meaning it, too. She probably would have fired herself and the Doctor for this whole mess.

Madge moved the harvester closer to the tower, gritting her teeth with effort of trying to get the heavy machine to do as she wanted, when the whole thing began to sway slightly. She cried out in alarm as the harvester tipped sideways, landing with a great crash as they all lost their smiles, Lily and Cyril looking quite concerned.

The Time Lady winced, placing a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder, "Don't worry, kids," she said hurriedly, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor over their heads, "I'm sure she's just fine…maybe a little bruised…" she cleared her throat, reaching over to lightly pat Cyril's arm.

"Stay here," the Doctor told them, quickly dropping a kiss onto the top of Cyril's head, before doing the same thing to Lily, "Just stay here," he gave them a quick smile before he and the Hatter dashed out of the room, the Time Lady taking the baby capsule with them as they jogged back down the spiral staircase, "Madge!" he called as they neared the bottom of the stairs, "Madge!"

The front door swung open and Madge appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her hood of her coat pulled up over her head, which was smoking slightly and covered in tiny burn marks.

"Madge!" the Hatter hurried over to her, jumping the last step, looking at her worriedly for the slightest sign of any burns, "Are you hurt?"

Madge threw back her head, seeming to be perfectly fine, "Stay inside," she said, sounding very much like a mother, "The rain is frightful!"

She laughed, shaking her head fondly, "You're children are upstairs," she informed her, knowing that she would be wanting to see her children more than anything right now.

She gave her a quick, grateful smile and made straight for the stairs, "Lily!" she called, running up the stairs, "Cyril!"

The Doctor shot the Hatter a small smile as Madge disappeared up the stairs, before the two of them moved across to the still open doors, peering out through the thick sheets of acid rain that was pouring down, the Doctor pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and flashing it at the harvester, which was lying just a few feet away from the doorframe, mindful to keep his hand away from the raindrops. He checked the results, sighing.

"Nice one, Madge," he muttered, lowering his arm, "A complete write off".

"There goes that idea of getting out of here," the Hatter groaned, clutching the handle of the baby capsule tighter, feeling her hearts sinking. It had been their last hope of possibly getting out of this, of getting the kids to safety, but now…she really didn't know what they were going to do.

Astra gargled something, making the Time Lords blink and look back to her.

"Look at the stars?" the Doctor repeated with a slightly confused look, looking up towards the sky, his eyes widening in realisation, "Oh…you are definitely your mother's daughter…" he breathed.

The Hatter shot him a quick, proud look before turning her gaze back up towards the sky, watching as all the shining stars began to stream towards the top of the tower, swirling through the air. The Time Lords glanced at each other and turned on their heels, taking off back inside and racing up the stairs, bursting back into the top of the tower to find Madge sitting on the throne with the metal band on her head, her eyes wide open and staring blankly ahead of her as a stream of stars flowed directly into the metal band, glowing brightly. Lily and Cyril watched on from across the room, worry written across their pale faces.

"The stars are going inside her!" Lily cried as the Time Lords joined them, "She's taking the whole forest!"

"Oh, this is marvellous," Madge said happily, smiling, while the Doctor and the Hatter could only watch on in concern, "Oh, this is really quite wonderful".

The glowing of the band stopped after a moment as the stream of the stars came to an end, leaving Madge simply smiling vaguely, staring off into the distance again.

"Madge!" the Doctor called urgently, unable to quite believe what he had just witnessed. He and the Hatter rushed forward, leaning over her, "Are you alright?"

The Hatter carefully sat the baby capsule back on the ground, reaching out to lightly tap Madge's cheek, making her blink, "Madge, can you hear us?" she asked worriedly, watching her face closely, lowering her hand, "Can you talk to us?"

"Yes, I can hear you," Madge replied, sounding quite dazed and not actually looking at them directly, but she seemed to be speaking clearly, "I'm perfectly fine, thank you".

"Fine?" the Doctor stared at her, his voice slightly higher than normal, "You've got a _whole_ world inside your head!" he turned and ran back across to look outside the window.

"I know! It's funny, isn't it? One can't imagine being a forest, then suddenly one can. How remarkable".

"Remarkable…" the Hatter breathed, shaking her head, laughing slightly. This was just…well, she would never have expected that a human mind would be able to handle something like this, "And you're feeling fine?" she glanced back to the King and Queen figures standing on either side of the throne, not waiting for a response from Madge, "She's not being harmed by this at all?"

The Queen reached out, placing a hand on Madge's shoulder, "She is strong," it said through Madge, removing its hand from her.

"Ooh," Madge blinked slightly, "That wasn't me…" she frowned slightly, shaking her head, "This is all really rather clever, isn't it?"

"She's strong," the Doctor pointed at Madge, before gesturing over to the Hatter, "And you're strong…" he frowned deeply, shaking his head.

The Hatter glanced at him, before her eyes landed on Astra, before flickering across to Cyril and Lily. She gasped as it finally hit her, what the difference between herself and the Doctor was, what she and Madge had in common to be considered to be strong, regardless of the fact that they weren't the same species. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been, she should have seen it right away, but she hadn't! It was so painfully obvious.

"Yes, of course!" she exclaimed, her eyes very bright as she turned to him, "Think about it, Doctor! _I'm_ strong, _Madge_ is strong…what is it that we have in common but you, Cyril, and I don't?"

The Doctor blinked back at her blankly for a moment, completely clueless, when he caught sight of Astra, Lily, and Cyril, "Oh…oh!" his eyes widened, catching on, "Stupid me! Stupid old Doctor!" he laughed, grinning at the Hatter, quickly pointing at Cyril, "Do you get it, Cyril?"

"No," Cyril shook his head.

"Lily?" he turned towards the girl, "You do, don't you?"

She looked confused, "No".

"Astra!" he looked over to the baby capsule, giving Astra an encouraging look, "Have you worked it out yet, my little star?"

Astra blinked back up to him, dribbling slightly down her chin as she gave a little squeal and turned her head towards the Hatter.

The Hatter grinned proudly, swopping down to place a quick kiss onto her forehead, "That's my girl!" she said brightly, though Astra did have a slight advantage, given her age and world focusing mostly around herself and the Doctor at this stage in life. It was hardly surprising she would see it were Lily and Cyril couldn't, being several years older then her, "Just think about it, kids," she told Cyril and Lily as she straightened, giving them a gentle smile, still looking ready to start dancing around the room in excitement from figuring it all out, "Something that myself and Madge have in common, something that makes us an ideal host, something that is _considered_ to make us stronger. It's a translation!"

The Doctor nodded quickly, "Translated from the base code of nature itself," he continued, talking very fast, "You and I, Cyril, we're weak. But the Hatter and Madge are female!" he pointed to the Hatter and Madge, smiling widely, "More than female, their mum's! How else does life travel? The Mother ship".

Suddenly, the entire room began shaking, the floor beneath their feet vibrating as they all stared around in alarm. The Hatter grabbed the baby capsule off the floor, clutching it tightly as the shaking grew and it felt as if the very sphere itself was being lifted up from the top of the tower, flying up into the sky.

"What's happening?" Lily asked fearfully, looking down at the floor.

"I don't know," the Hatter shook her head, frowning slightly as she looked around quickly, reaching into the capsule to take Astra's hand, trying to keep her from worrying, "I think we're…flying, where, I don't know".

"Just do what we always do," the Doctor advised the children, giving them an encouraging smile, "Hold tight and pretend it's a plan."

He spun around and dashed across to the window, while Cyril and Lily ran over to the throne, grabbing a hold of the chair as the Hatter moved to join the Doctor, reaching out to firmly grasp the edge of the window frame to keep herself up right. They looked back outside, their eyes widening at the sight of the tunnel of the Time Vortex outside as the sphere flew through it.

"That's…" the Hatter's mouth open in shock and disbelief, taking in the sight of the Time Vortex. It was actually quite a beautiful sight to witness, even though she had travelled through the Time Vortex so many times now, she had never quite seen it like this, actually had a window in which to look directly out into the Time Vortex during flight. She lifted the baby capsule up for Astra to see, too.

"I know," the Doctor breathed, the same sense of wonder that she felt reflected on his features, "This is amazing…"

"Where are we?" Cyril asked, still clutching onto the armrest of the throne as he looked across the room to see the window.

"Tricky question," the Time Lady said softly, shaking her head, not pulling her eyes off the window, "Technically speaking, we're not anywhere or even at any time. We're in the Time Vortex".

The Doctor turned away from the window, looking back to the wooden King and Queen, "You've got what you wanted," he frowned at them, taking a step towards them, "Those idiots down there can burn your old home and you'll be safe out here. But these people…" he waved a hand towards Madge, Lily, and Cyril, not taking his eyes off the figures, "…helped you, and they're under our protection. Now help them. How do we get home?"

The Queen reached out and touched Madge's shoulder again, "Think".

"Think?" the Hatter said slowly, before she gasped, "Oh, of course! She's controlling the ship with her mind, meaning that she has to _think_ in order to tell it what to do," she hurried away from the window and back over to Madge, "Madge, have you been listening?" she raised her voice slightly, reaching out with her free hand to lightly place a finger beneath her chin to turn her head towards her, "We need you to think, okay? That's all, just think".

"Think…what?" Madge said slowly, looking quite dazed.

"Think of home," the Doctor moved to stand beside the Hatter, leaning towards Madge, "Just picture it, _feel_ it! You have to _really_ feel it. Can you do that?"

"Madge, you're controlling this entire vessel right now," the Time Lady knelt down on the floor, keeping one hand on the baby capsule, while reaching out with her left hand to cover Madge's hand on the armrest, "You can take us all home, just in time for Christmas, but we need you to think".

"My head is full of trees, Housekeeper," Madge said, almost seeming vague, "Can't you fly us home?"

She sighed sadly, "No, neither of us can do that, not anymore," she said quietly, thinking of Gallifrey, of those age old silver leafed trees and fields filled with red grass, even of the house she had grown up in popped into her mind, surrounded by fields that had been lined by trees. She had loved those trees, each and every morning she would wake up to watch as the sun hit the leaves on the trees, making it look as if the entire forest was on fire beneath the burnt orange sky. But all of that was gone now, she could never have controlled this vessel safely, not when in her hearts, her home was gone.

The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting her eyes with a soft expression, knowing exactly what she was thinking and feeling right now because it was the very same thing that he felt every day. He took a deep breath and looked back to Mage, "And, between the three of us, we're older then we look," he told her, swallowing hard, "And we can't feel the way you do. Not anymore. And you really need to _feel_ it, Madge. Everything about home that you miss until you can't bear it. Until you almost burst".

"Until it hurts," Madge breathed, managing to focus her eyes onto them this time, "Is that what you mean, Caretaker? Til it hurts".

"Yes," he nodded, his voice barely above a whisper, "Yes…"

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small slip of folded paper, clutching it in her hands and closed her eyes as the Hatter swallowed, knowing what it was. It was the telegram telling Madge of her husband's death. She opened her eyes, looking passed the Time Lords, "Well then, home in time for Christmas!" she broke off with a cry of pain, flying the vessel through the Time Vortex as everything began shaking more and more, flashes of lightening lighting up the room as energy swirled around the outside of the vessel.

"What's happening?" Lily called, clutching onto the armrest of the throne, looking quite panicked, "Where are we going?"

"Show them!" the Hatter told the wooden King and Queen, one hand clinging to the side of the throne, while the other clutched onto the baby capsule, "Let them see for themselves!"

The King and Queen raised their arms up and pointed across to the wall directly facing them, making the windows form into a large screen that showed them hurtling through the Time Vortex.

"Ha!" the Doctor cheered, grinning broadly, grasping the side of the throne himself, while he reached out his other hand to grab the other side of the baby capsule, "The Time Vortex," he looked back over to Lily and Cyril, "Your mother is flying a forest through the Time Vortex, be a little impressed!"

"Madge, you need to really focus for us," the Hatter urged her, looking quickly back up to Madge's face as she gasped, struggling, "Please, just think about what it is you're going home for, let all of those memories and feelings about home fill you up, and guide your way home! You can do this!" she gave her a bright, encouraging smile, "You're a mother, _nothing_ in the whole Universe is stronger than that! Just _think_!"

Madge closed her eyes tightly, releasing a pained laugh as an image of a man with combed back hair appeared on the screen, cradling a newborn baby against his chest, before the image was replaced by another of the same man, looking slightly older now and dressed in a military uniform, waving goodbye with a sad, tight lipped smile on his face.

"Reg!" she gasped, her eyes snapping open to stare at the screen, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Daddy!" Cyril shouted in delight, his eyes lighting up, watching as the image changed to show his father outside in a garden with himself and Lily, Cyril with a blindfold over his eyes while Lily turned him around and around before letting him go, Cyril stumbling around as his father watched with a wide smile.

"My Reg," she smiled tearfully, watching as the image changed to show Reg in a kitchen, holding a teacup as he smiled and laughed with Lily, appearing to be celebrating Lily's birthday.

"That's it, focus on Reg," the Doctor nodded to Madge, looking back to her, "Be careful, but _focus_ on him!"

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Tell us about how you meet him," the Hatter said hurriedly, giving her an encouraging smile, "Come on, focus on that day, the day your entire life changed, Madge, remember those early days of blossoming love. Tell us about them".

"Ah…he followed me home," Madge said breathlessly, struggling to keep going as the Hatter looked quickly back over her shoulder to the screen, watching as a young Madge and Reg walked through the woods, Reg trailing slightly behind Madge, who kept smiling embarrassedly and throwing him quick glances, "I worked in the dairy. He always used to follow me home".

"Look at Father!" Lily laughed, watching the scene play out, "He looks so young!"

"He said he'd keep on following me til I married him. Didn't like to make a scene…"

"Just stay focused," the Doctor told her, his eyes worriedly moving down towards Astra, who was being very calm and quiet, considering how much of a fuss she would usually put on during something like this, "Think of home," he reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, flashing it at the metal band around Madge's head, "This thing, it works psychically. It'll find a signal and lock on!" he slipped the sonic back into his pocket, quickly looking back over his shoulder.

The image had shifted from the woods, this time showing an old plane flying through thick, dark clouds.

"No," Madge breathed, her eyes widening in horror, her face paling, "No, please, don't show me that! Please don't show me that!"

"Is that Daddy's plane?" Cyril asked eagerly, and Lily frowned slightly.

"Please, I don't want to see that!" she cried, almost hysterical as the Hatter reached out to grab her arm, wincing, "Please!"

"I'm so sorry, Madge!" the Hatter called over her desperate pleas, feeling her hearts breaking for the woman, just as an image appeared on the screen of the plane flying with a jet of black smoke spewing out of it, starting to sink lower and lower in the sky, "Truly I am, but you _can't_ break the connection now, you have to stay focused. I'm _so_ sorry…"

"Not the night he died! I don't want to see him die!"

Lily looked at her quickly, startled, "What do you mean?" she asked fearfully, "The 'night he died?'"

Madge squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing, "Oh, please don't make me watch him die!"

"Mummy?" Cyril said quietly, looking quickly to her with frightened eyes, "Is Daddy dead?" the Doctor and the Hatter swallowed, exchanging a look as they looked back to Madge, their hearts breaking for the children, "Mummy!"

The image changed on the screen again as Madge continued to cry, this time showing the inside the plane, though like every other time they were still unable to hear anything being said as they watched Reg trying to pilot the shaking plane, panic written across his face as he spoke briefly to another man who had appeared from the back of the plane, both men clearly knowing that they were in a very bad position as the second man nodded, his face pale as he disappeared back to the back of the plane. They watched as Reg's lips trembled with emotion, barely containing a sob as he spoke to a small photograph of Madge that he had stuck the window, reaching out to lightly touch it with his gloved hand, before his plane gave another jolt and began to nosedive…

"Goodbye, my love!" Madge gasped out through sobs, "Goodbye!"

Suddenly, the room was filled with a blinding white light and everything faded around them.

….

The Hatter slowly came back around to find herself clutching the baby capsule against her chest, her body curled protectively around it on she laid on the floor beside the toppled over throne. She ignored the small bump on the back of her head and the slightly arching in her arms from clutching onto the baby capsule so tightly as she quickly sat up to lean into the capsule, instantly feeling a weight lift off her chest at the sight of Astra blinking back up at her, sucking on her fist as if nothing had happened at all. Well, she supposed it had been a good thing she and the Doctor had put a great deal of effort into ensuring that Astra's pram and, in turn, baby capsule would protect her against even a crash landing like the one they had just experienced.

"Hatter!" the Doctor's voice reached her, making her blink slightly and look up, just as the Doctor dropped onto his knees beside her, grabbing her shoulders urgently as he swept his eyes over her, searching for any sign of injury, "Are you okay?" he asked quickly, "And Astra? Is she hurt?"

"I'm perfectly well, Doctor," she rolled her eyes fondly, gently easing his hands off her shoulders, patting his hands reassuringly as she did so, "And so is Astra, she didn't even cry".

He sighed in relief, closing his briefly before planting a kiss onto her forehead and leaning over to the capsule to do the same to Astra, who cooed and tried grabbing at his hair as he pulled back. He smiled gently at her and grabbed the capsule's handle, picking it up off the ground as he helped the Hatter back onto her feet, giving the Time Lady a chance to get a proper look of the rest of the vessel. There was still some smoke that hung in the air around the room, but the structure of the vessel still seemed to be mostly intake. Cyril, Lily, and Madge all appeared to be lying scattered around the floor, groaning slightly as they started waking.

"Is everyone alright?" the Hatter called around the room, reaching out to take the capsule from the Doctor, freeing both his hands so that he could withdraw his sonic screwdriver to check on the humans, "Anyone hurt?" she moved to kneel between Lily and Cyril, "Kids, can you hear me?"

Lily and Cyril gave little groans and shifted slightly, grimacing as the Doctor quickly flashed his sonic screwdriver at them both, before flashing the Hatter a quick thumbs-up, making her smile faintly. Madge slowly began to sit upright, her hair mussed and the metal band now lying on the floor beside her.

"Are they dead?" she asked, looking at the wooden King and Queen as they lay motionlessly on the ground.

The Doctor moved across to scan them, before checking the results, "No, they're just wood now," he told her, "They've been…emptied," he said, for lack of a better way of describing it to her. He crouched beside Madge, who was rubbing her head, eyeing her, "The forest has gone from your head too, hasn't it?"

"But where is it now?"

"The life force of the whole forest has transmuted itself into a sub-etheric waveband of light, which can exist as a…"

The Hatter cleared her throat loudly and rose, catching sight of Madge's confused and slightly annoyed expression, feeling like the Doctor was at risk of getting slapped, "They're among the stars now, Madge," she said lightly, drawing Madge's attention to her, "All of those souls that you saved today are out there, shinning and happy, thanks to _you_ ," she gave her a proud smile as Madge started smiling, too, "You did an incredible thing today, Madge. I very dearly hope you know that".

Madge smiled for a moment, just as Lily and Cyril slowly climbed onto their feet, "And where are we?" she frowned slightly, struggling onto her feet.

"Home!" the Doctor grinned, dashing across the room and over towards the window, "Christmas morning!" he wiped the window clean of dust and melted snow, revealing that they were parked right outside the manor house. He spun back around, clapping his hands together, "We've taken a bit of a short cut. Haven't you always wanted to do that?"

"Mother?" Lily cut in, making them all turn towards her.

"Oh, look at you," Madge breathed, holding out her arms, "You've been so brave, you…" she took a step towards them, ready to welcome them into her arms, but Lily and Cyril only backed away from her, staring at her with wide eyes. She hesitated, "Look, we're home again, see?" she pointed over her shoulder to the window.

"What did you mean, 'watch him die?'" Lily asked softly, her eyes already looking quite red, "Where's Father? Where is he? Where's Daddy?" Madge slowly looked down at the telegram scrunched up in her hands, carefully unfolding it, "Why are you holding a telegram?" she demanded, her voice trembling as the Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other sadly, "Well, what does it say?"

"Please, just tell us!" Cyril cried.

"Tell us!"

"I imagine you'd prefer to be alone," the Doctor spoke up, making Madge quickly look back to them.

Madge shook her head, tears in her eyes, "I don't believe anyone would prefer that," she said quietly, and the Hatter gave her a small, understanding smile. She returned the nod, her expression growing sterner, "Stay close, Caretaker, Housekeeper".

The Hatter reached out to take the Doctor's hand, not taking her eyes off Madge, "If you need us, we'll just be right outside," she assured her, before she and the Doctor turned to walk down what was left of the stairs, finding the door at the bottom no longer pretending to be wooden and twisted slightly, forcing them to carefully squeeze between the door and the gap, when they both froze, catching sight of something ahead of them on the lawn, "Oh…" she murmured, breaking into a delighted smile, "Madge, you truly are amazing".

"Hatter…" the Doctor said slowly, blinking at the sight, while Astra made a loud squeal and started kicking happily, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

She laughed, "Yes, sweetheart," she grinned, quickly kissing his cheek in her excitement, "I am, indeed. Come on!" she tugged on his hand, pulling him back towards the vessel door, dashing back up the stairs.

"…yes, Cril," Madge's voice carried back to them as they neared the top of the stairs, finding her crouched before her children, holding their hands, "He got so very lost".

"Um…sorry to interrupt," the Doctor said quickly as they peered over the stairs railing, drawing the human's attention to them, barely able to contain his own excitement, "You might want to pop out here for a moment," he pointed back down the stairs.

"Caretaker," Madge gave them both a very pointed look, "I'm talking to my children".

"Yes, and we're very sorry for interrupting like this," the Hatter nodded quickly, smiling widely, "Of course, we would ordinarily never dream of doing such a thing, but you're _really_ going to want to see _this_ ," she and the Doctor turned, rushing back down the stairs, leaving the small family to follow behind them.

The Time Lords came to a stop outside the vessel and the Hatter lifted Astra out of the capsule, leaving it on the ground to cradle Astra in her arms, smiling broadly as the Doctor straightened his bowtie, just as the sound of Madge and her children's footsteps sounded behind them. They glanced back to them, but Madge wasn't looking at them, instead her eyes were fixed on something passed them, stunned.

"No stars to light the way, Madge?" the Doctor remarked, smiling brightly, turning to look back towards the thing that had captivated the humans attentions so much, "There was one".

" _You_ ," the Hatter said proudly, looking over to her, "You, Madge Arwell, the woman who was strong enough to fly an entire forest to safety through the Time Vortex, but that's not all that you brought to safety," she laughed and turned back to face the front, dropping a kiss onto Astra's head, "You're husband, Reg. You brought him home to you".

Madge's mouth fell open in shock, staring at the sight of the massive plane that was sitting in the middle of the lawn before them; the very same plane that they had watched flying through the darkened, cloudy sky on the night that he had supposedly died. But he was very much alive and staring around as he climbed out of the plane, looking just as confused and stunned as his wife and children, slowly turning around towards them, his eyes widening as he found Madge standing there.

"He did it again, Madge," the Doctor continued happily, "He followed you home. Look at what you can do, Mother Christmas".

"Madge!" Reg neared them, still looking quite astonished, "What am I doing here?"

"It's Christmas Day, my love!" Madge called to him, holding out her arms, "Where else would you be?"

"Christmas Day?" he repeated, breaking into a smile, "How?"

She glanced quickly over her shoulder to the Time Lords, the Hatter giving her a little wink as she turned back to Reg, "We took a short cut!" she laughed, running over to him and throwing her arms around him.

"Daddy!" Cyril and Lily cheered, running to join their parents, leaving the Doctor and the Hatter to watch with soft smiles as the family embraced each other, smiling and crying joyfully.

"Now this…." the Hatter said quietly, feeling her hearts warming at the sight, "This is what Christmas is all about," she smiled gently, gently pressing a kiss to Astra's head and reaching out to take the Doctor's hand, squeezing it, resisting against the urge to starting crying along with the humans, "I love happy endings".

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist, "Happy crying," he commented, "Humany wumany".

….

Night had fallen and the Doctor and the Hatter smiled, watching happily through the gap in the living room door of Madge and Reg sitting on the living room floor before a large roaring fire, playing a board game with Lily and Cyril that they had just unwrapped from beneath the tree. Madge was smiling at Reg, who wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss onto her head, before returning to helping the children setup the board. The Time Lords exchanged a proud smile; feeling like their work was done as they carefully turned away from the door and began to head backup stairs for the attic. It was, after all, Astra's very first Christmas and they still had some celebrating of their own to do.

…

Apparently, there was only so much that Astra could handle and their mini Christmas was cut short after Astra began crying and fussing terribly, not even settling down after the Doctor had tried tickling her with her new teddy bear, the Hatter had decided it would be best to put her down in her crib to sleep. Still, it had been fun while it had lasted, the Hatter proudly walking around the console room in a hat with antlers on it and the Doctor with an elf hat on, complete with bells.

"Doctor," the Hatter called, pausing with a long strand of bright green tensile draped over her neck before the console monitor, looking at the screen to see Madge standing outside in the attic, staring at the TARDIS in realisation, "We have a visitor outside".

The Doctor, looking curious, moved around the console to see the screen for himself, the bells on his hat jiggling as he moved, "Ah," he said, seeing the screen, glancing at her, "Shall we, dear?" he held out his hand.

She smiled and took it, knowing that if Astra work up she would know straight away. They headed down the console and across to the TARDIS doors, pulling them open and peering out, making Madge's eyes widen even more at the sight of them before she slowly began smiling.

"Of course," she pointed at the Doctor, her smile growing, "It's you, isn't it? My spaceman angel, with his head on backwards".

The Doctor flashed her a bright smile and let go of the Hatter's hand to step out of the doorway, holding his hands out, "How do I look the right way round?" he twirled around, looking back to her.

"Funnier".

He blinked slightly, lowering his arms, "Okay…"

The Hatter laughed, stepping out of the doorway, though she kept the door slightly ajar, "Oh, you and I, Madge," she grinned, pointing her finger at Madge, "We've so got to hang out some time…and this time, I promise not to give you any presents or let the Doctor decorate your house," she brightened, "We'll have tea! That ought to be safe...hopefully".

"Just as long as _I_ make the tea, Housekeeper," Madge said sternly, though she was still smiling faintly as the Hatter quickly nodded in agreement, not about to disagree with her when she used _that_ tone. It reminded her of…well, herself, actually. Madge looked back to the Doctor, "So you came back?"

"Well, you were there for me when I had a bad day," the Doctor replied, giving her another smile as he wrapped his arm around the Hatter's waist, "Always like to return the favour. Got a bit…glitchy in the middle there…" he lowered his voice, sighing slightly, "But it worked out in the end," he glanced at the Hatter, lightly nudging her side, "Story of my life, hey, dear?"

"Both of our lives, sweetheart," the Time Lady agreed.

Madge gave them a small smile, "Thank you… _both_ of you," she moved forward and pulled them into a tight hug at the same time.

"Oh, you don't have to thank us," the brunet shook her head as they pulled apart, giving her a proud look, "You're the one who saved an entire forest and your husband, we just…helped without meaning to…" she looked back to the Doctor, "Yet another passage from the story of our lives".

"Now," Madge began, fixing the Doctor with a steady look, "The last time I saw you, I went back the next day, but the police box had gone".

"Yeah," the Doctor grinned, looking excited, "You want to see how it's done?" he didn't even give her a chance to respond before he was already turning and tugging the Hatter back towards the time machine.

"No!" she shouted suddenly, making them stop and whirl back around to face her. Her expression softened, looking between them, "I want you to stay for Christmas, please".

"Oh…" the Hatter blinked slightly, feeling quite touched that Madge would even want them to stay after everything that had happened, but she supposed that getting your husband back probably did make you very forgiving. Personally, she very much hoped she would never have to go through what Madge had.

"Ah, well, you see…" the Doctor shifted slightly awkwardly, looking quickly back to the Hatter, "Things to do, people to see…"

"Of course, yes," Madge cut across him, nodding, "Family of your own, young baby…"

"We have friends," the Hatter remarked slowly, frowning slightly as she felt her hearts sinking. She wasn't even entirely sure why she was talking about this, it would be so easy to just nod and smile and leave it at that, but she missed their friends. She missed Rory and Amy, she missed Martha, Mickey, Jack, Katie, Michael, and so many other special people who had been a part of their lives over the centuries, but they all thought that they were gone now…well, Amy and Rory did, anyway, possibly Jack, too. The idea of celebrating a Christmas with a lie like that hanging over their heads, with the people they cared about the most not knowing the truth, made her feel simply horrible and guilty, "But…" she hesitated, swallowing, "They all think we're dead right now…"

"Long story," the Doctor added softly, seeing the startled look that crossed Madge's face. He tried to brighten himself, "But never mind," he started to edge closer to the TARDIS, the Hatter forcing a strained smile as she followed him, "Anyway, watch our box do its thing. It's really cool," he pointed back to Madge, "You'll love it".

"No," Madge shook her head quickly, stopping them for a second time, frowning deeply at them, "No one should be alone at Christmas".

"We're not alone," he assured her, looking fondly to the Hatter, "We've got each other…"

"I'm not talking about you two," she cut across him, making him close his mouth, "I'm talking about your friends. You can't let them think you're dead. Not at Christmas".

"It's complicated," he tried to wave her off, but the Hatter was starting to look quite guilty, knowing that Madge was right. If there was ever a right time of year to tell their friends the truth, it was Christmas, "Very complicated. It's far too complicated to explain right now…"

"You must go and tell them," Madge interrupted him, giving him a motherly stern look, pointing a firm finger at him, "At once," she looked between them with the same expression, making a small shooing gesture, "Off you go".

The Hatter smiled slightly, while the Doctor looked like a scolded child, "Yes, mum," he muttered, rolling his eyes like a teenager, "I'll think about it," he looked back to her and slowly smiled, moving to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

"You're right, Madge," the Hatter told her, moving to kiss Madge's other cheek as the Doctor stepped back from her, "I promise, we'll go and tell them right away," she moved back beside the Doctor, breaking into a wide smile, "Christmas is a time for families and friendship, something we have both of".

The Doctor gave her a gentle look and quickly kissed her cheek, tickling the side of her head with one of his bells before he spun back to Madge, "Now!" he pointed at her, grinning, "Eyes on the box," he and the Hatter turned, trying for a third time to head for the TARDIS.

"Oh, Caretaker, Housekeeper?" Madge called after them, earning a small laugh from the Hatter as they turned back towards her, "What if I require you again?"

"Make a wish," he said happily, pushing the TARDIS door open and disappearing inside.

"Merry Christmas, Madge," the Hatter winked, giving her a little wave before following behind the Doctor and closing the door behind her, quickly dashing up to the console to help pilot the time machine with him. They had some people they needed to see yet, just as they had promised.

….

The Doctor and the Hatter stood before the TARDIS blue door with a Christmas wreath hanging on the door to greet them, snow gently falling around them, Astra snuggled against the Hatter's chest in her red dress and white tights, her mini-Santa hat sitting on her head, while the Time Lords still proudly wore their own. The Doctor glanced at the Hatter, looking slightly nervous about just what sort of reception they might get, before he reached out and knocked his knuckles against the smooth, polished surface of the door.

"Argh!" Amy's voice shouted from somewhere behind the door, making both Time Lords wince slightly and exchange a hurried look, "If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol!" he reached out to knock again, "You don't want to be all wet on a night like…!" she whipped the door open with her brightly coloured water pistol aimed directly at them, wearing a Christmas jumper, only to freeze in shock at the sight of the Time Lords standing on her doorstep, "…this…" she trailed off, her eyes wide.

"Not absolutely sure…how long…" the Doctor began slowly, looking a little wary.

She gave him a dark look, "Two years," she replied, before squirting the water pistol at him, making him flinch as the water hit his face and upper chest, barely trying to shield himself.

"Okay," he wiped the water off his face as Astra gave an amused coo, apparently thinking it quite funny to see her father being sprayed with water by an angry looking red head, "Fair point".

Amy narrowed her eyes and turned her gun onto the Hatter, who quickly lifted her arm up to try and shield Astra, "Holding a baby, Amy!" she exclaimed hurriedly, desperately hoping it might make Amy take pity on her.

Thankfully, it seemed to work and Amy's face softened as she lowered the water pistol, her eyes resting on Astra, "Oh, my God…" she breathed, breaking into a wide smile as she reached out to take Astra's hand, "That's Astra…you brought her home?" she looked quickly back up to them, delighted.

"Well, we can keep her safe now with everyone thinking we're…um…" the Time Lady coughed, grimacing slightly as Amy's expression almost instantly started darkening at the reminder of their fake deaths, "Would you like to hold her?" she offered quickly, hoping it might soften Amy up a bit more.

Amy broke into another bright smile and eagerly held out her arms as the Hatter carefully passed Astra across to her, the baby immediately grabbing at a lock of Amy's bright red hair and giving it a very curious look, "Aww, she looks so much like you, Hatter," she laughed, gently trying to ease her hair out of the baby's fingers, looking at Astra's face. She was lucky Astra hadn't tried sticking it in her mouth yet, "Hey?" she cooed at the baby, "And you've got a little hat," she glanced back over to the Hatter, "I suppose she's probably got a collection of bowties too?"

"Yes!" the Doctor said proudly, grinning widely as Amy rolled her eyes, though there was a certain fondness in the way that she did it.

"So…" Amy cleared her throat, trying hard to look angry again, though with her standing there with Astra still tugging at her hair, her attempt failed miserably, "You're not dead".

"And a happy New Year!" he grinned brightly.

She took a small step towards them, narrowing her eyes, "River told us".

"Ought to have known," the Hatter nodded, smiling slightly. She really should have known that River would have told them, so much for River being good at keeping spoilers to herself.

"She's a good girl," she said proudly, lightly bouncing Astra, eyeing them both, "Well? I'm not going to hug first".

"Nor am I," the Doctor replied childishly, pretending to look off at something on the brickwork on the outside of the house façade, while Amy shrugged and acted as if she was adjusting Astra's dress.

The Hatter looked back and forth between them for a good twenty seconds, before she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, "Oh, honestly, you two," she huffed in mild annoyance, earning two very surprised expressions, "One of you had better hug the other within the next ten seconds, otherwise I'll have to do it and this is supposed to be _your_ moment".

The Doctor and Amy blinked at her slowly before they glanced back to each other, their eyes meeting…they broke into wide smiles and Amy began laughing as they both moved towards each other, hugging as they were both mindful about the baby currently between them. The Hatter smiled at the sight, feeling her hearts instantly lifting at the sight before the Doctor released Amy to give the Hatter the chance to throw her arms around Amy in a hug, laughing together as Astra cooed, enjoying being in the middle of the hugs.

"Mister Pond!" Amy called back over her shoulder, smiling widely as the Hatter pulled back for the Doctor to take her hand, "Guess who's coming for dinner?"

Rory appeared in the doorway just up the hallway, "Oh!" he exclaimed in delight, catching sight of them. He moved down the hallway towards them, "Not dead, then," he raised his eyebrows at them as he stepped into the doorway, trying hard to look cross.

"We've done that," Amy told him, laughing.

"Oh," his eyes fell on Astra in her arms, his eyes widening as he looked quickly back to the Time Lords, "Is that…?"

"Yep," the Doctor and the Hatter nodded, grinning proudly as they both looked towards their daughter.

"Congratulations," he reached out to shake the Doctor's hand, who happily did so before Rory turned towards the Hatter, offering her his hand.

The Hatter raised an eyebrow, smiling softly, "Oh, you know me, Rory," she said lightly, "I don't do handshakes with friends…" she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as Rory sighed and hugged her back, before they released one another.

"We're about to have Christmas dinner," Amy informed the Time Lords, "Joining us?"

The Doctor looked at the Hatter, who nodded eagerly, "If it's no trouble…" he said with a small shrug, turning back to them.

"There's a place set for you both," Rory said, glancing at Astra, "We've even got a highchair…if she's old enough for that yet".

"Not quite yet," the Hatter shook her head, smiling, "She's only three months, she hasn't even started rolling over yet. Time Tots are mentally years and years ahead of human children, physically their about the same, though Time Tots usually speak by the time their ten to twelve months old".

"Hang on…" the Doctor frowned slightly; eyeing Rory and Amy, "You didn't know that we were coming…" his frown deepened even more, "You couldn't have known that we would have Astra with us, either. Why would you have a highchair or set us places?"

The Time Lady looked between them, too, realising that he was right. They can't have known that they would show up tonight on Christmas, let alone that they would have a baby with them, unless…, "Two years…" she said slowly, feeling excitement starting to grow, "You two…you haven't had another…" she cleared her throat and shot Astra a pointed look.

Amy's shifted uncomfortably, avoiding meeting her eyes, "We always set you guys a spot," she said instead, obviously avoiding answering the Hatter's question. The Time Lady eyed her closely, filing it away to ask her about once she had Amy in privet. She rolled her eyes, trying to play it off, "It's _Christmas_ , you morons!" she turned and headed back into the house, lightly bouncing Astra as she went.

"Hey!" the Hatter called after her, mock annoyed, "No name calling in front of the baby!"

Rory smiled and shook his head, "Come on," he nodded with his head for them to come in, turning to follow after Amy as they disappeared down the hallway.

The Hatter glanced back to the Doctor, her expression softening as she noticed him staring off down the hallway with a stunned look on his face, truly and completely touched by Amy and Rory's faith in them. She reached out and took his hand, lightly pulling him over the threshold as she used her other hand to reach up to cup his cheek, making him blink and look back to her, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"Happy tears," she murmured, using her thumb to gently wipe his tear away, "Not just humany wumany".

He smiled at her and leaned forward, pressing a tender kiss to her lips before pulling back, "Merry Christmas, Hatter," he said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor".

Together, the Time Lords turned and walked into the house, the smell of Christmas dinner and the sound of Astra's happy cooing washing over them as they gently closed the door behind them, thrilled by the prospect of a very happy and human Christmas with old friends.

 _ **I've got to say, I was very nervous about starting on this episode since I had only watched the episode twice before, quite a while ago, but while I was re-watching the episode before I began writing I found myself actually getting a bit tearful in moments, which is very rare for me. There's just the one chapter left to go before we're on to the next story and it will be the mini-episode, so you'll be getting it and the next story three/four days earlier.**_

 _ **I hope you liked the chapter, tell me what you thought. Please review :)**_

 _ **Guest reviews:**_

 _ **TrollDragomir:**_ _ **I went and looked up the book and it does seem to be quite interesting, I even went and looked up some stuff about JFK and the day he was killed. I will say that their probably not the usual type of books that I would read, since I usually prefer to read fiction rather than books based on real events, but the subject of the book is very interesting and after reading up on JFK's death, I've come to develop a more firm idea of what I think happened, which the book you recommended seems to also agree with. Thank you for the recommendation :)**_

 _ **Guest:**_ _ **I looked up the person you suggested, but I really don't think I'd be of any help. Well, not much, anyway. They seem to write mainly a cross-over of Doctor Who and Star Wars, but I've never even watched Star Wars (Shocking, I know), but if I could be of any help I would be very happy to try and offer advice or whatever they might need, same goes for anyone else. Writing can be hard enough as it is and if I'm able to help someone with their writing, I would be quite flattered and honoured that someone would want me to help them, I'm just not sure if I could help the person you suggested in this regard.**_


	34. Chapter 34 First and Last Night

_**First and Last Night**_

The Doctor and the Hatter danced around the TARDIS controls, flying the time machine through the Time Vortex, while Astra was strapped into a baby seat on one of the jump seats, already sucking on the ear of her new teddy bear, Cyril, that she had got for Christmas only a few hours ago. She had been most insistent on adding a little dark blue bowtie to her new teddy, much to the Doctor's delight and the Hatter's amusement.

The Time Lords brought the TARDIS to a gentle landing in the middle of Stormcage, right outside River's jail cell. The Doctor pulled the handbrake down, just as the doors swung open and River stepped into the console room, smiling back up to them a little hesitantly, clearly still a little unsure about how they might take her presences, given the fact that she was still very early on in her timeline. The Hatter flashed her a quick, reassuring smile as she moved around to stand beside the Doctor before the stairs, reaching out to take his hand.

River returned the smile before her eyes fell on the floor length, metallic gold dress that was hanging on the hatstand by the console, quite low cut in the front and tight fitting, "The dress is a little daring…" she remarked, eyeing it as she neared them.

"Yep," the Doctor grinned, throwing the dress a quick look, "So I went for this instead," he looked down at his white tuxedo jacket and shirt, complete with black bowtie and trousers.

"Somehow, I don't think gold would have suited you, sweetheart," the Hatter said with a hint of amusement, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, absently using her thumb to wipe away the bit of pale pink lipstick she left behind.

River raised her eyebrows, looking back to the Hatter, taking in her outfit, which was…different. None of it really should have worked together and yet, somehow, on the Time Lady, it just did. A dark blue dress with large silver printed roses scattering the silk fabric and dipping slightly at the back hemline, while she wore a bright yellow, thin belt around her waist and a pair of flat bright pink shoes with an ankle strap, no doubt to make sure the shoes stayed on while running. Her hair had been curled and pulled back off her face in a half-up, half-down style with a bright pink fascinator hat sitting slightly askew on top of her head with large fabric flowers attached to it. She even had a pair of earrings, little stud silver stars.

"Are we going out?" she asked, pulling her eyes off the slightly unusual outfit and splashes of colour.

"We are," the Time Lady nodded to her, giving her a cheeky little smile, "We just figured…while you're parents are sleeping, why not have a little bit of fun?" she suddenly frowned and turned towards Astra, pointing a stern finger at her, "The same doesn't go for you, missy".

Astra gargled something from around the ear of her very soggy looking teddy, making River blink slightly and snap her head around towards the baby.

"We don't care how unfair that is," the Doctor told the baby, though his attempt to come off as stern really didn't work with the faint smile on his face, "River isn't our daughter, you are and don't talk back to your mother," he sighed slightly, glancing at the Hatter, "Those teenage years are going to be hell, aren't they?"

The Hatter winced at the thought, "Worse than an entire battle fleet of Dalek's, I'd wager," she muttered, resisting against the urge to shiver. He met her eyes and sighed again, before turning back towards the controls, preparing to set off again.

"Hello, Astra," River smiled softly, moving across to kneel beside the baby seat. Astra pulled the teddy out of her mouth, looking curiously back to River, "I don't suppose you've meet me yet, have you?" she reached out her hand, while the Doctor and the Hatter paused to watch.

Astra seemed to examine her for a moment, before she gave a happy little squeal and tried to clumsily reach out a hand, though she appeared to be far more interested in River's mess of curly hair then her hand.

"I'd watch out, River," the Hatter laughed, coming to stand on the other side of the chair, "Astra's developed quite a liking for hair recently, poor Amy had to pull her hair back because Astra was so obsessed with its colour".

River laughed slightly and straightened, "She's very sweet".

The brunet turned back towards her daughter, her face softening as she watched Astra go back to sucking on the teddy, though her eyes were fixed on River's hair still, "She is, rather," she agreed, before winking at River, "Though, I am a little bias," she leaned down to place a kiss on Astra's head before she quickly undid the straps holding her firmly in the seat, cradling her against her chest as she looked back to River, "So, do tell us, how's Stormcage so far? Is the food any good? I do hope they have jelly, I'm rather fond of jelly myself".

"I'm on the first night of twelve thousand consecutive life sentences," she replied with a small shrug, not appearing to be overly concerned about it, "Kind of early to say".

"Right…" she nodded slowly, before breaking into a wide smile, "Still, do they have jelly?"

River just laughed and shook her head, "Where are we going?"

"Caleron Beta," the Doctor answered from where he was still working at the controls, "Boring planet of the chip shops, but…!" he held his finger up, breaking into a smile, "There is a four hundred foot tree growing out of a cliff on the north side of a mountain in the middle of the sea," he quickly typed something into the controls as he spoke, glancing back up again to see River's excited expression, "And, if you take the lift to the top and look up at exactly twelve minutes past midnight on the 21st of September 2360, you can see more stars in one sky than at _any_ moment in the history of the Universe," he lightly clapped his hands together, "It's like daylight, only magic," he moved around to the control panel on the other side of River, pulling a lever as he looked back to her, "You could read a book by it".

"Or you could just enjoy the stars," the Hatter cut in, giving the Doctor a fond smile as she lightly adjusted Astra in her arms. She doubted if River would even think about reading with a show like that going on above her head to enjoy, "Never mind that, though," she shook her head, casting the console a quick glance before focusing back onto River, "You had better get dressed, we ought to be arriving in ten minutes".

"Which reminds me…" the Doctor glanced back over his shoulder to River, moving around to the other side of the console, fiddling with the controls, "Did you bring the diary, River?"

River reached into her trouser pocket, pulling out the TARDIS shaped book, "It's a diary?" she asked, holding it up for them both to see.

"Yes, it is," the Time Lady nodded to her, watching as she began flickering through the fresh, unmarked pages, her tone growing firmer, "And it's very important that you listen to us right now, because there are rules…"

"Oh, you've gone all strict," she commented with a mock pout.

"River," the Doctor said sternly, eyeing her carefully as he moved to stand beside the Hatter again, neither Time Lord taking their eyes off her. This was very important for River to understand, otherwise it could cause a great deal of trouble for them all, "It's all in the wrong order for the three of us, we never meet in sequence," he explained, and River glanced back up to them from the pages of her diary, seeming to have realised just how serious this actually was, "You put everything in the diary so we know where we are".

"Put what in the diary? Sweetie, I'm in the highest security prison in all of the known Universe".

The Hatter laughed softly, giving River an almost fond look, "And who do you think _you_ are?" she said with a pointed look, "River Song could walk in and out of any prison, whenever she so pleased, just for the sheer fun of it".

River blinked slightly, breaking into a small smile, "I'm River Song…" she said slowly.

"Exactly," she grinned, adjusting Astra in her arms, "Now, off you pop to get changed and all pretty…not that you need to spend much time doing that, my dear…" she gave River a little wink, "And if you don't like the dress, feel free to pick something else out of the wardrobe. Oh, and a hat!" she brightened suddenly, looking almost like an excited child, "You have a good face for a hat," Astra gargled something, and she glanced at her, nodding happily, "Even Astra agrees with me, River".

"She is your daughter, dear," the Doctor remarked with a soft smile in the Time Lady's direction.

"Right…" River nodded, frowning slightly, "And the wardrobe is…?"

"First right," he spun back to her, pointing off towards the small set of stairs and the hallway leading off into the rest of the time machine, "Second left, just past the helter-skelter".

River closed her diary and gave them a quick smile, turning and almost skipping down the stairs, disappearing off down the hallway, just as the sound of gunfire sounded from the other side of the TARDIS doors, making the Doctor and the Hatter whirl around in alarm.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" the Hatter asked warily, glancing back over to the Doctor, tightening her grip protectively on Astra.

"Not that I know of," the Doctor muttered, looking a little concerned himself. He hurried around the console and down the stairs, dashing across to throw the door open, his eyes widening at the sight of who was outside as the air was filled with shots of lasers and smoke, "River!" he exclaimed, just as a second version of River stumbled into the time machine and directly into his arms, holding an energy weapon, barely giving him a chance to close the door.

"River?" the Time Lady stared at the new, obviously older version of River Song, quite shocked.

"I knew you'd come back here, you nostalgic idiots," River gasped weakly, clutching onto the Doctor, who looked even more worried now as he half-carried her further into the console room, "Hold me!" she suddenly fainted in his arms, going completely limp.

"River!" the Doctor called urgently, trying to give her a little shake, "River! River! River!"

"Put her on the floor before you drop her, Doctor!" the Hatter ordered quickly, quite fearful that he might accidently drop River, given his usual lack of coordination even at the best of times. She dashed down the steps to join him, clutching Astra close to her as she looked worriedly at River's still face, Astra squirming worriedly in her arms.

The Doctor carefully lowered River onto the floor, leaning over her, "River?" he tried again, lightly tapping her cheeks as the Hatter knelt on the floor on the other side of River, "Are you okay?" he grabbed her arm, lifting it up, trying to check for any sign of injury that might explain her sudden collapsing in his arms, "Talk to me…okay, um…uh…" he looked quickly up to the Hatter, his eyes wide with panic, "She's not breathing!"

"Well, do something!" she almost shouted, feeling her hearts racing.

"Right," he swallowed, turning back to River, "Breathe, breathe, come on…" he leaned closer to River's face, looking close to giving her mouth to mouth, but he was still hesitate. It was awkward thinking about doing something like that, even if it was to save River's life, he just had to get it through his head that it was about saving her life and that the fact that he would have to touch his own mouth against hers was the downside of doing that, "Gotta keep breathing…uh…" he leaned down, mere inches from her mouth, when he paused and frowned slightly, tilting his head sideways to listen for a second, "River," he sat upright, looking down at River's face with a mildly exasperated expression as the Hatter looked between them in confusion, "You are holding your breath".

"Oh, you have got to be kidding…" the Hatter closed her eyes, her shoulder slumping as all the previous panic and fear of before faded, though her hearts were still beating far too fast for her comfort. Of course River had been faking, she ought to have known straight away, after all, she and River were quite alike in many ways and that was something that she would likely have done herself, in the past…well, if she wasn't afraid of giving the Doctor a double heart attack in the process, that is.

River's eyes snapped open, smirking, "Did I impress you, honeykins?"

She shook her head in mild annoyance, climbing back onto her feet, "If by impressed you mean almost gave me a heart attack, then yes," she sighed heavily, "Well done, very fine prank," she paused, giving Astra a sharp look, "Don't get any ideas, young lady".

"Get up, River!" the Doctor huffed as he stood, too, marching back up to the console as River simply smirked wider and pulled herself back onto her feet. She even had the nerve to give the Hatter a cheeky wink, which made the Time Lady smile despite herself, before moving to take Astra's hand and give it a little kiss in greeting, narrowly avoiding getting a chunk of her hair pulled out, "What are you doing here?" he demanded, pulling a lever harder then really needed, setting them off again, "Who's shooting at you?" he turned back around to face them.

"Oh, just some Sontarans," River shrugged carelessly, looking away from Astra, though she still kept a hold of her tiny hand, "Chased me halfway across the galaxy," she broke into a small smile, "I _probably_ shouldn't have asked them if they were on a hen night".

The Hatter tried so hard not to laugh, but she just couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her, while the Doctor looked positively scandalised by the whole thing, "Oh, that is classic," she grinned, giving River a proud look.

"River, you can't do things like that!" the Doctor scolded, giving her a stern look, "And you…!" he turned on the Hatter, pointing a finger at her, "You shouldn't be encouraging her, Hatter!"

"She's not my daughter," the Hatter said lightly, still smiling. If River was…it would be another story, she would actually have to _pretend_ to be cross and wait until she was alone before allowing herself to enjoy the mental image, "Don't be a spoil-sport, sweetheart".

River smirked at the Doctor, who was opening and closing his mouth in disbelief, "So what?" she gave him a challenging look, "You've already had me banged up in jail for five years, what else are you gonna do? Spank me?"

"Now…" he began, holding up a finger.

"River," the Time Lady cut in, her smile replaced by a small frown, "We might not be your parents, but you'll still show us respect, so don't start getting mouthy with your godfather".

River let out a loud sigh, "Fine…" she dragged out the word, sounding more like a teenager then a grown woman, when she frowned slightly, catching sight of the golden dress still hanging on the hatstand. She walked closer to it, "Wait, have you two brought someone else here?" she asked suspiciously, spinning back around to narrow her eyes on them, "Does anyone agree to _wear_ that dress?" she whirled around and stormed off up the stairs leading to the upper levels of the console, while the Doctor rubbed his face and the Hatter sighed, "Where is she?" she demanded, clearly quite upset over the whole thing.

"River, think it through," the Doctor tried, lowering his hand.

She stopped partway up the stairs, turning to glare down at them, "This happened the last time we were here," she complained, giving them an accusing look, "You brought someone else!" she turned and continued up the stairs.

"We really didn't, River!" the Hatter called after her.

"Yes, you did! I heard you talking to her!"

"It's the same night!" both Time Lords said in unison, exchanging a look, just as River disappeared around the corner.

"Doctor, Hatter…" they jumped and turned to see the first River standing on the level below them in the doorway of the hallway, looking back to them with a curious expression, holding a handful of clothing in her arms. She eyed them, "Were you two talking to someone?"

The Hatter fixed a bright smile onto her face, "Just talking to each other," she reassured her quickly, hoping she looked and sounded believable, "I was…trying to see if I could mimic another person's voice," she cleared her throat as the Doctor shifted a little awkwardly beside her, feeling like she probably should have just left it without the last part.

The first River gave her an odd look, but nodded slowly and disappeared back down the hallway.

"Where you talking to someone?" the second River appeared at the top of the stairs, making the Time Lords jump again and quickly turn to look up at her.

"No, no, dear," the Doctor said hurriedly, holding up a soothing hand, "Just us".

She continued to eye them for a brief moment before she disappeared back down the hallway. The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, both wondering about just how they were actually going to manage to make this whole thing work without one of the River's running into the other, when the TARDIS doors suddenly swung open and a third River, older and actually wearing the golden dressed, strolled into the room. They turned to stare at her in disbelief and exasperation, even Astra gave a little coo, unable to believe just how complicated one simple night with River Song was turning out to be, and they hadn't even had a chance to step outside yet.

"You nostalgic idiots…" this older version of River grinned cheekily at them, walking towards them, "You just can't stop popping by to check up on me…" she trailed off, her eyes landing on the same golden dress that she was wearing hanging on the hatstand. She frowned as the Doctor quickly checked that neither of the other two versions of River were about to stumble across them, "Doctor? Hatter?" she glanced back to the Time Lords, who slowly began to move down towards her as she absently touched the strap of her dress, "Why have you brought another one of these?" she gave them a confused and suspicious look, "Who else is here?" she blinked, her eyes catching sight of Astra, "And why is Astra so young?"

"Um…" the Hatter bit her lip, looking down to Astra in her arms, her mind suddenly going completely blank as to how to try and explain Astra's age when it was quite clear that this version of River was far into their future.

The Doctor quickly checked over his shoulder again, "River," he turned back to her, fixing a cheerful smile to his face, hoping to distract her, "Could you check the light on top?" he pointed his finger up towards the ceiling, "I think the bulb needs changing".

"The bulb?" she repeated, eyeing them carefully, seeming to have forgotten all about Astra's age not matching up. She glanced at the Hatter, who gave her a broad smile and a nod, before slowly turning and heading back outside to check the bulb, as instructed.

"Oh, this is getting so complicated," the Hatter muttered to the Doctor, closing her eyes tightly, "One of them has to go, Doctor".

"Second that," the Doctor murmured in agreement, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, avoiding the flowers on her fascinator.

"Who are you talking to?" the second River demanded, storming back down the stairs, looking quite annoyed.

"You!" the Doctor spun back around, hurrying back up the stairs towards her, seeing his chance to start sorting out this whole mess before the Hatter ended up getting cranky. That really wasn't what he had wanted when he had planned this whole evening, he had hoped to try and make it a little romantic…hopefully with River there to also keep an eye on Astra, "I'm talking to you," he reached her at the bottom of the stairs, pulling his sonic screwdriver from his inner jacket pocket, "Back to Stormcage for you, Doctor River Song," he grabbed her wrist that had the Vortex Manipulator strapped to it, flashing his sonic at it.

"Oh…" River whined, pouting as she looked over his shoulder to the Hatter, giving her a hopeful look as the Time Lady moved back up the stairs, "At least give me a lift, you know what this thing does to my hair".

"Nice try," the Hatter smirked at her from behind the Doctor, adjusting Astra in her arms, giving her a little smile, just as River sighed and disappeared in a crackle of blue energy.

The Doctor stepped back beside the Hatter, breaking into a relieved smile, "One down, another one to go," he said happily.

"Sooner the better, sweetheart," she said quietly, catching sight of River's curly hair as the third version of River walked back into the console room.

"The lights fine," River told them, frowning slightly over to them, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"No, River!" suddenly, another Doctor rushed into the room, dressed in a top hat and a black suit, "Wrong TARDIS, we're parked around the back…" he trailed off, catching sight of his younger self and the Hatter standing by the console, staring at him with wide eyes. Even Astra blinked, looking quite startled, "…younger versions," he broke into a smile, coming to a stop beside his version of River.

"Two of you!" River breathed, looking back and forth between the two Doctor's, "The minds races, doesn't it, Hatter?" she threw the Time Lady a cheeky wink and raised her eyebrows.

The Hatter coughed, her cheeks heating up, "River!" she tried scolding, though her voice sounded higher than normal.

"Oh, what's taking you so long?" another voice came, just before a tall brunet in a floor length, fitted dark blue gown appeared in the doorway. She blinked slightly as she caught sight of the scene unfolding, before breaking into a wide smile, "Ah, I see," she moved to stand beside her Doctor, looking back up to her younger self, giving her a little wave, "Hello…young me".

"Hi…older me," the Hatter said slowly, returning the wave.

"And Astra!" she gasped, her smile growing even wider and full of excitement, catching sight of the baby held in the Hatter's arms, "Look at you, so tiny!"

The older Doctor smiled softly, wrapping an arm around his Hatter's waist, "We really should be going," he reminded her with a pointed look, glancing over to River, "We'll be late".

River nodded and turned, heading for the door, "They're taking me to the Singing Towers of Darillium!" she called back over her shoulder to the younger versions, missing the way that their smiles vanished at her words, "They've been promising for ages!" she disappeared outside.

The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other, swallowing hard as they turned back to their older selves, seeing the terribly saddened expressions on their faces.

"When we first meet River, in the Library…" the Hatter began slowly, her voice soft, "The day that she…"

"Died, yes," the second Doctor nodded, and the second Hatter winced and closed her eyes, looking down at the floor.

"She said the last time she saw us was at Darillium…" the Doctor continued, looking between their older selves, "Is that now?"

The second Hatter lifted her head, glancing at her Doctor before turning back to them, "Spoilers," she said weakly, giving them a strained smile, "You know we can't tell you that".

The second Doctor struggled to give them a smile, "Good luck tonight".

"You too," the Doctor said with sad expression, inclining his head towards them, knowing that no matter how hard it might be to think of having to say goodbye to River right now was, for them, to know her as well as they obviously did, it must be simply heartbreaking.

"I'm so sorry, for both of you," the Hater told them gently, feeling her hearts go out to them, holding Astra tighter to her chest and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you," the older Hatter nodded to her, smiling sadly. She took a deep breath, looking back to her Doctor, "We ought to go, sweetheart".

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, before giving their past selves one last look as they turned to leave, just as the youngest version of River appeared and hurried back up the stairs to the console, her arms full of clothing, when she slowed her pace as she caught sight of the older versions of the Doctor and the Hatter slipping outside the doors.

"Oh!" she gasped, drawing the Doctor and the Hatter's attention to her, "There's two versions of you!" she looked back to the Time Lords, smiling at them, "The mind races, hey, Hatter?"

The Hatter gave her a weak smile, not even feeling embarrassed by River's suggestive remark, not when she was feeling so sad for what they would one day have to go through, all the while having to pretend as if everything was fine in front of River.

"Right, come on, you," the Doctor tried to sound bright, moving to take the clothing from River's arms, "Let's go and see the stars," he tossed the clothing off to the side.

"But I haven't changed," River frowned, looking confused.

"And don't you ever," the Hatter said firmly, moving to her side, leaning in to place a kiss on top of her head, mindful to keep Astra out of grabbing range.

River looked between them, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "What were the other versions of you doing here?"

"Sorry," the Doctor shook his head, managing a smile, "Can't say".

"What's that word you use?"

"'Spoilers,'" the Time Lady replied, giving her a small, amused smile. Oh, she remembered when that word had frustrated them so much and now, here they were, encouraging her.

River grinned, "I like that word".

The Doctor exchanged a look with the Hatter, shaking his head, "We thought you might".

She continued smiling at them, sighing loudly, "Oh, Doctor and Hatter…" she shook her head fondly, looking between them, "You and your secrets, you'll be the death of me".

She moved past them and stepped over to the console, missing the heartbroken look that crossed the Doctor and the Hatter's faces as they watched her go, knowing just how true those words really where. They looked at each other, their eyes meeting as the Doctor reached out and took the Hatter's free hand, squeezing it comfortingly. Even though they knew how it would all end, they still had now and they were going to make sure that their time with River Song was the best it could possibly be. She deserved that much from them.

 _ **And we have finally reached the end of season six, now onto season seven in 'The End Is Where We Start From,' the title of which was given to me by a very helpful guest review, so thank you so much for that again. I wasn't sure if I would end up using that title at first, but lack of sleep lately has really sapped by ability to come up with a title of my own and I really liked your suggestion from the start, so I decided to go with it. Keep an eye out for the new story, which will be posted in a few hours time and starts with 'Pond Life,' which mainly follows Rory and Amy's timeline before slipping into the Doctor and the Hatter's timeline. I tried to explain what I mean during the end chapter note; hopefully it's not too confusing.**_

 _ **Oh, and I should also mention that I actually made the Hatter's outfit for this chapter and it will be on my profile and on my Tumblr. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favourite/alerted this story, this story actually has the most reviews out of all of my other stories! You guys are just so brilliant, I seriously can't say that enough, so thank you everyone :)**_


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